Pixar’s Elio: A Sci-Fi Adventure With a Choppy Story

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In the animated film Elio, directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina, you can see many characteristics that made Pixar one of the world’s top animation studios. The story explores a relatable and profound theme about loneliness, features vibrant and distinctive main characters, and while the art style may not be groundbreaking, there is excellent character and set design. For those who can relate to the content, emotions will run high, and these feelings are accompanied by doses of happiness and astonishment.

Elio

Launch Date: 20th June, 2025

Behind the Scenes: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina (Directors)
Julia Cho & Mark Hammer & Mike Jones (Screenwriters)

Main Cast: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Brad Garrett, Remy Edgerly, Shirley Henderson, Matthias Schweighöfer, Jameela Jamil, Brandon Moon, and Naomi Watanabe

Age Rating: Suitable for all ages (PG) due to some intense scenes and thought-provoking themes.

Duration: Approximately 98 minutes.

And yet, I simply like Elio more than I love it.

The movie doesn’t quite come together in a way that elevates it above its individual elements, but it remains watchable because those individual pieces are engaging and meaningful. Despite having a compelling high-concept premise about a lonely boy yearning for extraterrestrial connections, the storyline often feels thin, only intermittently generating momentum and tension instead of consistently delivering either.

Yonas Kibreab provides the voiceover for the main character, who goes by Elio (let’s agree not to use just first names as titles). At the tender age of eleven, Elio is left devastated when his parents pass away, and he moves in with his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña), a Major in the Air Force. Despite her dreams of becoming an astronaut, she temporarily shelved these aspirations to become Elio’s legal guardian. When he discovers a museum exhibit about Voyager 1 and learns about its legendary Golden Record, Elio develops an intense fascination with extraterrestrial life and dedicates himself to trying to contact other worlds in the hopes of finding companionship beyond Earth.

As it happens, Elio’s unusual fascination proves fortuitous when, during this span, extraterrestrials from a celestial society known as the Communiverse locate Voyager 1 and establish contact with Earth. While skulking near Olga’s Air Force base, Elio overhears the transmission but is told it’s merely static. Alone, he records a message to be sent back, hoping this will facilitate his ambition of encountering aliens… which becomes a reality, though things soon spiral out of control when he deceives about being the ruler of his planet and finds himself in negotiations with an aggressive alien called Lord Grigon (portrayed by Brad Garrett), who seeks to annihilate the Communiverse after being snubbed for membership.

While Elio has strong themes, its storytelling is choppy.

It’s undeniable that Elio expresses thoughts on loneliness, a feeling that resonates whether you’re a young character who has recently been orphaned like him or just spending a solitary Friday night. The primary goal is for this character to seek connections in the universe while recognizing the importance of creating those bonds at home. Despite the clear narrative arc, the movie seems to move hesitantly along it, with some elements not fitting together perfectly. For instance, the grand deception that he leads Earth feels discordant with his aspiration to coexist with beings from other planets; instead, it appears more like a convenient plot device designed to introduce conflict in the story.

During the adventure of our young protagonist, he forms a charming bond with Glordon (Remy Edgerly), the gentler son of Lord Grigon who contrasts his father’s aggressive demeanor. This friendship is the heartwarming centerpiece of the film; however, other plot developments seem less fully realized – such as Elio’s abrupt sojourn at a boarding school, Olga’s unease upon Elio’s replacement by a duplicate, and a negotiation that escalates into a misleading abduction scenario.

Elio has a wonderful vision of the cosmos distinct from WALL-E and Lightyear.

In my opinion, the term “underdeveloped” could be used to describe Elio’s world-building approach since there appears to be an abundance of narrative exposition rather than immersive storytelling when portraying the grandeur of the Communiverse and Lord Grigon’s society. However, it does not lack original science fiction flair, being the same studio responsible for creating both WALL-E and Lightyear. It definitely stands out from those films with its imaginative designs and intriguing concepts.

After leaving the movie “Elio,” I found myself yearning to explore more of the Communiverse, as it beautifully combines intrigue and aesthetics in a way that evokes a sense of awe – from its expansive communal spaces to the breathtaking waterfalls even in the bathroom setting. The character Ooooo (played by Shirley Henderson) is an endearing, blue, gooey supercomputer with a delightful quirkiness that assists the main character in acclimating to this unusual new world. Additionally, the floating Universal Users Manual, played by Bob Peterson, is charming and full of whimsy, though his role is more about answering questions about gorilla fights rather than unraveling the mysteries of life itself.

I’d like to extend my appreciation for the ingenious application of animation, which allows the movie to venture beyond the constraints of humanoid characters. The animators seemed to draw inspiration from various realms – microscopic organisms, deep-sea creatures, insects, and flora – to craft an alien society that’s both captivatingly strange yet remains within the bounds of appealing and not off-putting or grotesque. After all, this is a film intended for children.

The feel for Elio is similar to sinking into a large, plush armchair that appears inviting and enjoyable, yet when you settle in, it proves challenging to find a truly comfortable posture. It’s somewhat disheartening to see Pixar releasing more sequels than original titles in their upcoming roster, but even a mediocre title from one of the most active studios is still quite decent.

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2025-06-18 02:38