Review: Elio

Directed by: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Written by: Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, Mike Jones

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly, Brandon Moon

Rating: [3.5/5]

Trying to find one’s place in this world comes more naturally for some than others for a whole host of reasons, which may be beyond the control of the individual. It could lead some to believe their place may not lie with those who currently surround them, but perhaps someplace else. In another solid outing by Pixar, Elio explores if this someplace else resides somewhere outside this world and potentially involving aliens. Providing all the outer space fun one could want, but combining it with the strong emotional currents found in Pixar films, we have ourselves an enjoyable feature here. 

Living with his aunt following the death of his parents, Elio (Yonas Kibreab) has proven to be quite the handful for her, mostly because his fascination in getting abducted by aliens. Upon sneaking onto his aunt’s place of work and sending out a message into deep space, Elio received his wish and gets taken in by an alien spaceship, where they believe him to be the representative of Earth. 

For quite some time now, Pixar has been in the mode of hitting some strong doubles where they consistently produce efforts that accomplish the pattern of what they want to evoke in their films while not delivering a grand slam. I would argue Coco 8 years ago was the last time they delivered something truly sensational. Everything else in-between has ranged from decent to pretty great, which is where Elio firmly sits as well. It’s not a life-changing film that makes you view everything differently but rather a very cute story about a boy finding community with others where one would not expect it. 

Down on Earth, Elio’s main connection lies with his aunt, who has given up on her dream of becoming an astronaut because of the sudden duty thrust upon her of serving as guardian of her nephew. Then you have the connections he makes out in space with the Communiverse of aliens from all the other planets. Each of them have their strengths, but they see Elio as the representative of Earth and as any one thrust upon this situation, the young boy decides to fake it until he makes it. A relatable choice given the circumstances, but I do appreciate how this film views the way the Elio interacts with these aliens as opposed to humans. It begs the question exactly why he would find it easier to connect to other inhumane creatures rather than his own species back at home. This ultimately serves as the biggest takeaway this film offer if Elio does decide to return to Earth and fully connect with others outside of his Aunt. 

While all is nice and dandy with Elio loving his time at the Communiverse, they must contend with the looming threat of Grigon (Brad Garrett), who threatens to destroy everyone if he does not get his wish. This particular conflict allows me to equate the Communiverse as the alien version of the United Nations. This body is essentially a group of representatives from various worlds that, when presented with a real problem, they prove to be completely useless. Not sure if the creators behind this film intended for that appearance, but I could not help but draw that conclusion and comparison. This whole issue with Grigon presents the opportunity for Elio to establish himself amongst these aliens and presents all the hijinks of this film when our protagonist meets Grigon’s son and befriends him. The ultimate test and ultimately the key of if the Communiverse will ultimately see its demise at the hands of Grigon and his clan. 

Everything about this feature strikes as standard fare for a Pixar film where no distinct element makes it excellent but it does not necessarily falter in any particular area. It has a good story, an emotional center, and some good animation as well. The film does not deliver a sucker punch that will leave you sobbing like other films nor does it contain a story of staggering profundity, it simply just works well as a story we have seen before but gets executed quite well. We have some fun and colorful characters and sequences that succeed in its goal to entertain.