EMERYVILLE, CA -- Disney and Pixar's "Elio" is about a lonely kid whose dreams of adventures in outer space come true when he's beamed up to the "communiverse," a sort of United Nations for aliens.

Fans of Pixar rejoice — the animation studio behind such popular films as Toy Story, Monsters Inc., and Pirates of the Caribbean has announced its 3D rendering software will be given away for free for ...