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IMDbPro

Madeline Sharafian

  • Writer
  • Art Department
  • Animation Department
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Pik Sen Lim and Madeline Sharafian
In an exclusive conversation with IMDb, the cast of Disney-Pixar's upcoming animated feature 'Elio' shared insights into their creative process and character development. Rising star Yonas Kibreab, who voices the titular character, revealed the nuances of emotional voice acting versus on-camera performance.

"Communicating emotions through a mic is a lot harder than communicating emotions on camera," Kibreab explained during the interview. "The easiest part is being myself because I share a lot of traits with Elio's quirkiness."

Zoe Saldaña, who portrays Olga Solís, discussed the unique demands of voice acting. "It brings out a different form of acting that sometimes can feel picturesque because emotions need to be really accentuated and inflected," Saldaña noted.

Brad Garrett, making his animated villain debut as Lord Grigon, described how the character evolved through collaboration with the creative team. The production team particularly praised Garrett's ability to bring unexpected tenderness to the role, which influenced the character's development.

Director Domee Shi highlighted Saldana's contributions to shaping the mother-son dynamic between Olga and Elio. "She asked so many questions about where Olga's coming from, getting to the root of Olga's frustration," Shi said.

Producer Mary Alice Drumm credited their casting department for discovering Kibreab early in the process, noting "his performance speaks for itself."
Play clip6:30
How Zoe Saldaña and Yonas Kibreab Can Really Relate to Their 'Elio' Characters
1 Video
1 Photo
Madeline Sharafian was born on 1 February 1993 in Alameda, California, USA. She is a writer, known for Elio (2025), Coco (2017) and Turning Red (2022).
BornFebruary 1, 1993
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornFebruary 1, 1993
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 3 nominations total

    Known for

    Steve Bloom, Brad Garrett, Elio, Shirley Henderson, Harley Jessup, Zoe Saldaña, Anna Wolitzky, Yonas Kibreab, Remy Edgerly, Mary Alice Drumm, Rob Simonsen, Adrian Molina, Jameela Jamil, Madeline Sharafian, and Domee Shi in Elio (2025)
    Elio
    6.7
    • Writer
    • 2025
    Alfonso Arau, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Gael García Bernal, Dyana Ortelli, Herbert Siguenza, and Anthony Gonzalez in Coco (2017)
    Coco
    8.4
    • Art Department
    • 2017
    Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Tristan Allerick Chen, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, and Rosalie Chiang in Turning Red (2022)
    Turning Red
    6.9
    • Animation Department
    • 2022
    Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Ratzenberger, Tracey Ullman, Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna, Wilmer Valderrama, Catherine Apple, Sharon Calahan, Grey DeLisle, Chris Pratt, Kori Rae, Mel Rodriguez, Dan Scanlon, Octavia Spencer, Keith Bunin, Kyle Bornheimer, Noah Klocek, Lena Waithe, Adam Habib, Jason Headley, Tom Holland, Ali Wong, and George Psarras in Onward (2020)
    Onward
    7.4
    • Animation Department
    • 2020

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Writer



    • Steve Bloom, Brad Garrett, Elio, Shirley Henderson, Harley Jessup, Zoe Saldaña, Anna Wolitzky, Yonas Kibreab, Remy Edgerly, Mary Alice Drumm, Rob Simonsen, Adrian Molina, Jameela Jamil, Madeline Sharafian, and Domee Shi in Elio (2025)
      Elio
      6.7
      • story by
      • 2025
    • SparkShorts (2018)
      SparkShorts
      7.6
      TV Mini Series
      • written by
      • 2020
    • Edi Patterson, Eden Gamliel, Bobby Moynihan, Demetri Martin, Eric Edelstein, and Keith Ferguson in We Bare Bears (2014)
      We Bare Bears
      7.8
      TV Series
      • story
      • written by
      • 2015–2017
    • We Bare Bears: Goodnight Ice Bear (2016)
      We Bare Bears: Goodnight Ice Bear
      7.6
      Video
      • writer
      • 2016
    • Omelette (2013)
      Omelette
      7.5
      Video
      • Writer
      • 2013

    Art Department



    • Hoppers
      • story supervisor
      • Completed
      • 2026



    • Alfonso Arau, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Gael García Bernal, Dyana Ortelli, Herbert Siguenza, and Anthony Gonzalez in Coco (2017)
      Coco
      8.4
      • story artist
      • 2017
    • Dante's Lunch (2017)
      Dante's Lunch
      7.0
      Short
      • story artist
      • 2017
    • Edi Patterson, Eden Gamliel, Bobby Moynihan, Demetri Martin, Eric Edelstein, and Keith Ferguson in We Bare Bears (2014)
      We Bare Bears
      7.8
      TV Series
      • storyboard artist
      • character designer (as Maddie Sharafian)
      • 2014–2016

    Animation Department



    • Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Tristan Allerick Chen, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, and Rosalie Chiang in Turning Red (2022)
      Turning Red
      6.9
      • story lead
      • 2022
    • SparkShorts (2018)
      SparkShorts
      7.6
      TV Mini Series
      • animator
      • 2020
    • Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Ratzenberger, Tracey Ullman, Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna, Wilmer Valderrama, Catherine Apple, Sharon Calahan, Grey DeLisle, Chris Pratt, Kori Rae, Mel Rodriguez, Dan Scanlon, Octavia Spencer, Keith Bunin, Kyle Bornheimer, Noah Klocek, Lena Waithe, Adam Habib, Jason Headley, Tom Holland, Ali Wong, and George Psarras in Onward (2020)
      Onward
      7.4
      • story lead
      • 2020
    • Alfonso Arau, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Gael García Bernal, Dyana Ortelli, Herbert Siguenza, and Anthony Gonzalez in Coco (2017)
      Coco
      8.4
      • storyboard artist
      • 2017
    • Weekends (2017)
      Weekends
      7.2
      Short
      • animator
      • cel painter
      • 2017

    Videos1

    How Zoe Saldaña and Yonas Kibreab Can Really Relate to Their 'Elio' Characters
    Clip 6:30
    How Zoe Saldaña and Yonas Kibreab Can Really Relate to Their 'Elio' Characters

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Maddie Sharafian
    • Born
      • February 1, 1993
      • Alameda, California, USA

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