‘Elio’s’ Otherworldly Score Featured Performances By This Chorus Of Wooden Dolls

In a whimsical blend of technology and artistry, the score for Pixar’s upcoming space-themed film Elio includes some otherworldly-sounding music performed by a choir of wooden dolls.

These instruments, known simply as the Choir, are made by the Swedish electronics company Teenage Engineering. Though they resemble toys, each doll is a functioning speaker with its own vocal range and unique voice, capable of singing solo or harmonizing as part of a group via MIDI over Bluetooth.

Composer Rob Simonsen turned to the Choir to create a space-inspired soundscape for Elio. Seeking something both human and alien, Simonsen was captivated by the dolls’ robotic yet organic tones.

According to the composer, he was looking for “something that sounded relatable, that echoed vocalizations, communication that humans could understand, but felt like it was from another world.”

He described his first reaction to the choir dolls and experiencing something “electronic, but human.”

Simonsen used three full Choir sets, recording them much like human singers, mic’d individually to capture their layered, a cappella harmonies. The result is a score that feels simultaneously electronic and alive, echoing Elio’s cosmic narrative.

Simonsen’s full Dolby Creator Talks discussion can be seen here: