With Pixar’s latest offering, Elio, right around the corner, fans can’t help but wonder what happened to Elio’s eye in the movie. Soon after its official trailer came out, fans noticed that the titular character can be seen wearing an eyepatch in some scenes. Many have since flocked to the internet to discuss the possible reasons why one of Elio’s eyes is covered. Could it be a medical issue or something else entirely?
Here’s everything we know.
Why Elio has an eye patch and what could’ve happened to his eye explained
Since Disney is notorious for preventing leaks and spoilers, there is no way of knowing the actual reason behind Elio’s eye patch before the movie’s release. However, fans have taken the opportunity to come up with theories. Popular speculation suggests that the eye patch may be a result of Elio suffering from amblyopia, also known as “lazy eye.” Or the reason could be his dreams of becoming a space captain pirate.
Amblyopia is a sight disorder that causes reduced vision in eyes. Although it can affect adults, lazy eye usually develops in children. So, fans believe that Elio suffers from the same disorder. He thus wears an eyepatch to cover up the affected eye. One Redditor commented, “I’m pretty sure when the movie was announced, they said Elio is a character with amblyopia, a vision issue where an eye patch is worn at times over the stronger eye to help strengthen the weaker eye.”
Furthermore, the Children’s Eye Foundation of AAPOS addressed the theory in an Instagram post. They lauded Pixar for what appears to be a positive representation of the sight disorder.
While some fans agreed with the medical condition, others had a different idea as to why Elio dons an eyepatch. Several fans believe that it is just a creative expression by Elio, who wants to be a pirate. The movie’s animation supervisor, Travis Hathaway, also weighed in on this while speaking to Cinemablend in May 2025. He stated, “For a film about a kid who has kind of dreams of being a space captain pirate or whatever it’s kind of really on theme. So, we were surprised at how well it was woven into the movie by the end, I should say.”
In conclusion, the real reason for the eye patch remains under wraps. We will only get the whole story once Elio officially arrives on June 20, 2025.
