Illumination has unveiled the first trailer for its animated sci-fi romance Not Alone, led by voice stars Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez. Directed by Jonathan del Val, Eric Guillon and first-time helmer Claire Dodgson, the film is set for a March 31, 2027 release in France and is scored in the preview to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”
David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” sets the tone as Illumination points its bright, bouncy animation toward outer space, with Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez lending their voices to a story that leans as much on romance as it does on sci-fi chaos. At the center are Joe and Fran, two would-be innovators racing to build a revolutionary rocket, just as a meddling group of aliens threatens to turn their plans into debris. The project carries the stamp of Chris Meledandri’s studio and a directing trio that includes Claire Dodgson’s debut alongside Jonathan del Val and Eric Guillon. In France, the countdown ends on March 31, 2027, with rival studios already lining up their own originals to compete for attention.
A first look at “Not alone”, and why it matters for Illumination
If you’ve been watching the animation calendar fill up with original projects again, there’s a new title to add. Illumination has released a first trailer for “Not alone”, an animated sci-fi romance that leans into space travel, awkward chemistry, and a looming disaster. It’s the kind of swing that signals a studio testing new emotional territory without abandoning its familiar comic rhythm.
The trailer also lands at a moment when audiences are keeping score of which studios can make fresh stories feel like events. For US viewers, the key detail is simple: this is being positioned as a major theatrical release, even if a US date has not been formally locked in yet.
Chalamet, Gomez, and the people steering the rocket
At the center are two voices that will be hard to miss: Timothée Chalamet plays Joe, a young engineer, and Selena Gomez voices Fran, a scientist whose work is tightly intertwined with his. Their characters aren’t saving the universe on day 1. They’re building something, learning each other’s rhythms, and slowly letting romance into the blueprint.
The directing team pairs experience with a new point of view: Jonathan del Val and Eric Guillon are joined by first-time director Claire Dodgson, longtime editor on the studio’s films. The project was previously teased by Chris Meledandri during an industry appearance earlier this year (at France’s Annecy animation festival), before the title and cast were made public.
A love story interrupted by aliens, set to Bowie
“Not alone” revolves around a revolutionary rocket, built through late nights and quiet persistence. Then the movie swerves: a catastrophe is hinted at, and an alien group is revealed to be hiding in Joe’s home while trying to figure out how to escape. The trailer sells the romance first, then lets the tension creep in behind it.
One smart needle-drop does a lot of heavy lifting. The preview is backed by David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” a choice that instantly frames the story as dreamy, a little lonely, and pointedly human, even when the candy-sized extraterrestrials arrive for laughs.
Release timing, and the crowded animation slate ahead
The film is currently dated for March 31, 2027 overseas, while a specific US release date has not been confirmed. Still, the timing tells you how confident the studio is: late March is prime real estate for a family title that wants word-of-mouth before the summer rush.
Will audiences embrace Illumination’s softer, more romantic angle alongside the sci-fi premise? The first trailer suggests the studio is betting that tenderness and spectacle can share the same cockpit.