REVIEW: Pixar’s ‘Elio’ defies gravity—and expectations
Amid Disney’s endless live-action remakes and unnecessary sequels, it can be easy to miss the well-crafted original stories consistently put out by Pixar’s fresh slate of talent. But Elio is not to be missed.
The film follows its titular character, a young boy obsessed with space, as he attempts—and ultimately succeeds—in making contact with aliens. He accidentally becomes Earth’s ambassador at the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization of the Milky Way’s best and brightest creatures.
Elio quickly cashes in on the comedy of this premise. When faced with an alien who knows all the secrets of the universe, including the meaning of life, Elio (voiced by Fil-Am actor Yonas Kibreab) immediately yells, “Who will win in a fight: one gorilla with a baseball bat or 10 chimps?” The dialogue is whip-smart, delighting both kids and adults in the audience. It also uses physical comedy more liberally and to great effect, perhaps thanks to Domee Shi, one of its directors, who did something similar with 2022’s Turning Red.
While Pixar is known to infuse a sense of magic or fantasy in its work—our toys come alive, or a group of personified emotions run our minds—these films are still mostly set on Earth. Elio opens the door for limitless world-building and, like the main character, we become enamored with the colorful, high-tech Communiverse and its otherworldly residents.
While Elio’s adventures in space are definitely the highlight, his time on Earth at the beginning of the film doesn’t feel like wasted time. We get to know Elio and learn to root for him. We see early on that he has just lost both his parents and is now living with his aunt, who feels overwhelmed by the sudden responsibility. We understand why Elio wanted so badly to get abducted by aliens: he doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere. Maybe, in the infinite planets floating in the universe, he would have somewhere to call home.
In a way, he finds his place in the Communiverse. He finds a friend in Glordon, a seemingly scary but ultimately sweet creature from a dark, violent planet.
I was trying to predict the main conflict midway through the film. No character is entirely villainous; we understand where every “bad” character is coming from. But as the story unfolds, it also reveals its greatest strength: its ability to handle complex emotions thoughtfully. Every character feels like a real person (or real alien?), all silently carrying the same struggles. We are more similar than we are different; the feeling that nobody understands us is very often a myth, easily debunked if only we dare to reach out and admit that we feel alone.
I walked into the theater uncertain. The film’s original director, Coco’s Adrian Molina, left the project halfway through, with co-directors Madeline Sharafian and Shi stepping in. It felt like a bad sign. I could not have been happier to be proven wrong.
The film sends a hopeful message to a world plagued by social fractures, where young people are lonelier than ever. Maybe you don’t want to get beamed up by a UFO like Elio, but we’re all searching for our place in the world. Elio makes you realize that where you belong may be a lot closer than you think.
