The Teenage Engineering Choir: Official Choral Ensemble for Disney Pixar’s Elio

There’s something really exciting about being part of something as massive as a Pixar movie, and when Teenage Engineering got involved with the soundtrack for Elio, it felt like a perfect blend of creativity and tech. The story of how Elio came to feature the Teenage Engineering Choir is a reminder of how important and unexpected partnerships can be in the world of music and film.

Key Features:

• Handcrafted, unique vocal tones combining electronic and organic elements for an otherworldly effect.
• Custom firmware to synchronize up to 24 dolls for harmonized, expressive performances.
• Captured at the Sony Scoring Stage in Los Angeles, with mics placed just like any human vocalist.
• Built for creativity: Dolls feature a robotic but organic sound that made them ideal for an ‘alien communication’ aesthetic.
• Exclusive 3-character dolls created for the film’s VIP premiere at El Capitan Theatre.

When Disney Pixar started working on Elio—a movie about a young boy making contact with distant alien life—they faced a big question: what does space sound like? This is where composer Rob Simonsen came in, and his search for an “otherworldly” sound led him to Teenage Engineering’s choir dolls.

The Sound of Space: A Unique Solution

In an interview, Rob Simonsen reflected on how the choir dolls provided the perfect mix of “electronic, but human” that he was looking for:

“We were looking for an otherworldly sound—something that sounded relatable, that echoed vocalizations, communication that humans could understand, but felt like it was from another world. I came across these choir dolls and heard their sound. It was beautiful—electronic, but human. Each body is handcrafted. They have a robotic but organic sound at the same time. It felt like a perfect answer to what we were looking for.”

If you’ve heard any of Teenage Engineering’s products like the OP-1 or OP-Z, you know that the blend of organic and electronic is a key element of their sound. But this goes a step further, mixing creativity and functionality in a way that adds a new, uncharted layer to film scoring.

Custom Firmware, Custom Sounds

To make Rob’s vision a reality, Teenage Engineering developed custom firmware to control note distribution across the dolls, enabling up to 24 of them to harmonize and perform together. This isn’t just about some toys making noise—these were serious instruments used in a professional recording environment.

The dolls were mic’d up and sent to the Sony Scoring Stage in Los Angeles to record Rob’s compositions. Imagine the mix of organic voices, each doll lending its unique “robotic but organic” sound to the performance.

From Concept to Premiere

Things took an even more interesting turn when Producer Mary Alice Drumm asked if they could create three custom dolls based on the main characters in time for the VIP showing of Elio. The challenge? Get them ready for the premiere at the iconic El Capitan Theatre. With some tweaks in design and a lot of handcrafting, Teenage Engineering delivered, sending the three dolls to join the world premiere of Elio.

It’s incredible to think how a creative challenge turned into such a unique project. These dolls weren’t just part of the soundtrack; they were present at the world premiere, becoming a real-life part of the magic that brought the movie to the big screen.

Why This Is Exciting for Us

For us, it’s exciting to see how Teenage Engineering and Rob Simonsen worked together to push the boundaries of sound and storytelling. The Teenage Engineering Choir Dolls have proven that even in a world as advanced as modern cinema, there’s still room for creative tools that blend music, technology, and real-world craftsmanship.

This collaboration shows just how far the Teenage Engineering brand has come—what started as an experimental idea has now played an integral part in the soundtrack of a major Pixar movie. And to top it off, it’s not just about the sounds they’ve made, but how they’ve managed to bring that sense of fun and innovation to the creative process.

For those of us who’ve followed Teenage Engineering over the years, this is a moment that feels both significant and completely on-brand for the company—finding unique, interesting ways to make music and make an impact. Elio might be a film about space, but thanks to Teenage Engineering, it’s also a perfect example of how music tech can push boundaries in unexpected ways.

We’re just stoked to see what’s next—Teenage Engineering has shown time and time again that they’re about more than just instruments. They’re about creating experiences that surprise and inspire.

Final Thoughts

Being part of Elio’s soundtrack is a big deal for Teenage Engineering. The creative and technical journey that led to the inclusion of the Teenage Engineering Choir Dolls is a testament to what happens when innovation meets imagination. This collaboration between the tech world and cinema shows that sound can be more than just a tool—it can be a living, breathing part of a story.

We can’t wait to hear what comes next for Teenage Engineering—and for sound design in general. The Teenage Engineering Choir Dolls are proof that music tech can still surprise us in ways we never expected.

Check out more about Teenage Engineering and their products on their website.Bottom of Form