Animation
Comedy
Review: ‘Elio’ is a Heartwarming and Fantastical Sci-Fi Family Adventure, as Only Pixar Can Do
June 17, 2025Ben MK
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By now, every moviegoer should be familiar with Pixar's winning formula. Blending photorealistic yet cartoony animation with heartwarming storylines and lovable characters, the nearly four-decade-old studio has wowed audiences with a dazzling array of films, ranging from the likes of beloved franchises such as Toy Story, Inside Out and Monsters Inc. to standalone tales like Soul, Turning Red and Elemental. Fast forward 28 movies later, and it would seem that there's not a blockbuster concept that Pixar hasn't brought to the big screen. But with Elio, directors Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi prove that the iconic animation studio isn't out of ideas yet, in this charming and endearing story of a young boy who looks to the stars for friendship and belonging. It's been over half a century since legendary astronomer and activist Carl Sagan first opened the eyes of everyday people to the possibility of life beyond our solar system; and for 11-year-old Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab), it's a dream that helps keep him going even when he's feeling at his lowest. Having lost both his parents in an accident, Elio yearns for the days when he and his mom and dad were one happy family. But even though his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña), an orbital analyst for the U.S. Army stationed out of Montez Air Force Base, has tried to do everything in her power to provide for and take care of her grieving nephew, it's still not enough to replace the bond that was broken so tragically. Developing an obsession with coming face to face with extraterrestrial life after visiting a museum, Elio decides that he would be better off living amongst the stars; so he sets out to catch the attention of passing UFOs, in the hopes that one of them might come along and abduct him. However, when he finally gets a real chance to communicate with life out there on another planet, will he be ready to take on the responsibility that goes hand in hand with being the first human to make contact? After using the military's own state-of-the-art technology to transmit a message back to the aliens replying to the Earthly recordings sent into space by the 1977 Voyager spacecraft, Elio soon finds himself whisked away to a far-off interstellar hub known as the Communiverse, where the best and brightest minds in the galaxy live, share ideas, and generally hang out. Little does Elio realize, though, that he's also stepping right into the thick of a brewing conflict of galactic proportions. And when a ruthless Hylurgian dictator named Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) sets his sights on taking over the Communiverse by force, it falls squarely on Elio to try and convince this power-mad and heavily armored warlord to try and change his vicious ways. Volunteering to help diffuse the situation in the hopes that the inhabitants of the Communiverse will vote to allow him to become a member, so that he can stay and avoid going back to his life on Earth, Elio journeys to Grigon's mothership, where he meets Grigon's own misunderstood son, Glordon (Remy Edgerly). What happens next, however, will surprise both Elio and Glordon, as the pair soon find kinship with one another and become the best of friends — a friendship that will become crucial when Grigon decides to wage all-out war on the Communiverse. Written by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer and Mike Jones, the result makes for yet another sparkling jewel in Pixar's star-studded crown, as Elio takes viewers on a captivating and utterly fantastical voyage into the outer reaches of space, where all manner of colorfully imaginative alien species dwell, and where the boundaries of traditional physics don't apply. For all its visual ingenuity and awe-inspiring computer graphics, though, what will stick with audiences the most is the film's heartwarming storyline and wholesome messaging. And thanks to Pixar's knack for being able to cater to both kids and adults alike — not to mention a few clever nods to such sci-fi and cult classics as Alf, Terminator 2 and The Last Starfighter — this is one family-friendly adventure that will appeal to moviegoers of all ages, whether you're an older Pixar fan who actually gets all of the above references or a younger viewer who's simply interested in a fun — and funny — time at the movies. No matter how you cut it, Elio delivers a crowd-pleasing experience that's sure to become a new family favorite, a feat that has eluded Pixar with some of their recent releases, but which the filmmakers here have no trouble achieving. After all, in this new and uncharted age of generative AI, creating jaw-dropping visual spectacles that once took legions of artists to make is something that's becoming easier and easier to do. As for imbuing such works with genuine heart, soul and a moving message about fitting in and finding community — thankfully, that's something that Pixar continues to prove themselves to be pioneers at. Elio releases June 20th, 2025 from Walt Disney Studios. The film has an MPAA rating of PG for some action/peril and thematic elements. Its runtime is 1 hr. 39 min. |
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