Aaron Ploof
Have you ever felt alone? Unwanted? Odds are you have. These emotions are an integral part of the human condition. Most, if not all of us, have experienced them at one time or another. For Elio (Yonas Kibreab), these feelings are all too common. Left in a world without his parents, he yearns for an escape, an alien kidnapping. Strangely enough, one night he gets his wish. His abduction leads to a series of adventures that challenge him emotionally, force him to grow up, and ultimately lead him to realize that love was around him all along.
Elio is the type of film that just feels like a really strong, warm hug. It mixes heavy dramatic moments with comedy gold and adds a bit of dark humor, child-friendly horror, and sci-fi to the mix. I was immediately able to connect to its characters, and its themes will be appreciated by everyone. And while I felt that some of its characters and ideas might have been on the simplistic side, after taking a while to dwell on it, it’s proving deeper than I realized. It’s not hyperbole to say that this is the best Pixar film since Inside Out. It comes just short of matching Toy Story in earning a classic ranking.
Are We Alone?
Elio begins strongly by introducing us to its title character. Olga (The MCU’s Zoe Saldaña), Elio’s aunt, presses him to pick something from the menu, but her nephew isn’t responding. He’s huddled up beneath the table, clutching his astronaut toys, quiet and pensive. While his aunt vents to a co-worker, he wanders off. He spots a young child playing with parents, and even without Elio saying a word, it’s clear where his mind is. Ignoring a closed off railing, he enters a room and triggers an exhibit’s recording.
Carl Sagan asks the age-old question, “Are we alone?” Elio listens in wonder as Sagan lectures him on the history of the Voyager. He sees a replica of the Golden Record, an audio disc that was sent into space in 1977, complete with humans saying “hello” in 59 different languages. With this, he learns, humanity hoped to connect with extraterrestrial life. Elio breaks his silence and asks Aunt Olga, “Is there really life out there?”
Abduct Me, Please!
Years pass, and Elio begs to be abducted. In fact, he spends his free time on the beach, writing messages in the sand that he hopes aliens will be able to read. “Please abduct me,” they say. His odd behavior is a stressor on Olga, who loves her nephew, but has no clue how to connect with him. Elio has no friends and truly believes that his people aren’t people at all.
A series of events occurs, and Elio is eventually beamed onto an alien ship. He meets with a committee of peaceful aliens called the Communiverse. They’re looking for a new member to join, and believing Elio to be the leader of Earth, offer him a spot. Unfortunately, they must turn down another prospective candidate, Warlord Lord Grigon (Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brad Garrett), when it’s clear he is not a fit in the peaceful community. He threatens to meet them with violence. Elio, not wanting to return to his lonely existence, volunteers to make negotiations with the baddie. It’s clear he’s in way over his head, and he knows it.
Father and Son
Garrett’s performance as lord Grigon is fantastic, especially in the negotiation scene. Grigon makes Elio prove his worth by hilariously shooting down tiny aliens (thankfully, they don’t die.) Of course, things eventually go wrong; Elio isn’t an expert in tact. It is here where viewers gather a sense of who Grigon is and see beyond his armor to his squishy center. He has a son, Glordon (Remy Edgerly), who he deeply loves but also feels disconnected from, much the same way Olga relates to Elio.
Elio eventually befriends Glordon, and they also find out they share much in common. The script excels at this, setting up parallel storylines with characters that are going through similar situations and relationships. The bond that forms between Glordon and Elio is heartwarming and sweet, as the boy and the alien goof off in a hilarious montage and relate to their struggles to fit in and belong. Glordon does not want to be a war machine; Elio feels he doesn’t relate to humanity. At their core, both boys feel like there’s something inherently wrong with them.
A Mix of Genres
Switching between these moods of seriousness and comic hilarity, the script never bogs us down with either of the two. It mixes genres successfully, handling heavy topics with ease and bringing dramatic heft when it calls for it. I always knew that characters would find their way through their challenges, but the film had me wondering just how they would pull out of the dire situations in which they found themselves. The script constantly surprised me with its solutions, always pulling from previously set up ideas earlier in the story. This is a solid screenplay.
The visual effects and designs of the aliens are inventive, too. From the razor-sharp teeth in Glordon’s mouth to the fluffy aliens that Grigon snipes down, they are all comically and interestingly depicted. The overall aesthetics of the film are pleasing to the eyes and ears, and there’s no darkening of the screen like in the live action version of How to Train Your Dragon. The soundtrack to the film doesn’t immediately set itself apart, but it does fit the mood and makes great use of Talking Head’s “Once in a Lifetime.”
Somethings about the film could be altered. The members of the Communiverse blended together in personality and the characters’ arcs, like Grigon’s, aren’t fully solidified. But this is a minor complaint.
Okay, Bye, I Love You
I’d like to do something different here and recommend that my readers watch a specific video featuring both directors as well as the producer of Elio discussing with the men on Cinema Therapy just how healing Elio actually is. Not only will this give you great insight into the minds behind the film, it will also allow you to understand the themes of Elio at a deeper level. Because that’s what Elio ultimately is, a fantastic film that earns my respect for the handling of its themes and emotional resonance. This one’s near perfect, and it earns my first
Score: 9.5/10
Don’t forget the two after-credit sequences!
Elio is now playing in theatres nationwide.
Elio | Final Trailer | In Theaters June 20
🚨 Tickets are on sale NOW for Disney and Pixar’s #Elio! 🚨 See it in theaters & 3D June 20 🎟️ : https://www.fandango.com/elio-2025-232217/movie-overview Pixar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixar/ Pixar Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixar Pixar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pixar Copyright: (C) Disney*Pixar
