Rating 6/10
“You are never truly alone.”
“You don’t have to be the same to be best friends.”
“True strength comes from kindness.”
“Be yourself—the universe will adjust.”
“Every star has a place in the sky.”
If Pixar’s Elio were a dessert, it would be a fortune cookie: sweet, thin, and maybe a little empty in the middle—but it delivers a message. This account hands out wisdom like a Panda Express. It doesn’t crack the upper crust of the studio’s classics, but this planetary buddy tale goes down easy. It’s a breezy 99 minutes.
11-year-old Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) is dealing with the loss of his parents and struggling to connect with his aunt and guardian, Olga (Zoe Saldaña). The lonely middle schooler finds an unexpected connection when he is beamed up by aliens who mistake him for Earth’s ambassador. Elio is taken to the “Communiverse,” a peaceful intergalactic council of advanced civilizations. There, he befriends a misunderstood alien boy. Glordon (Remy Edgerly) is also grappling with feelings of isolation and a strained relationship with his powerful warlord father, Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett). As the boys work together to prevent a looming interstellar conflict, they learn that (read in a sarcastic tone) even across galaxies, friendship, empathy, and love can help bridge divides.
Elio is a lively adventure that kept me entertained, even if the plot keeps changing flight paths. I love the setup—an Earth boy abducted by aliens who think he’s our planet’s ambassador—but then spins off in a myriad of directions. There’s the emotional coming-of-age drama about belonging; then we’re navigating political squabbles in the Communiverse, later delving into parental guilt from both Elio’s aunt and Glordon’s warlord dad. The movie wants to teach many lessons—but instead of weaving them organically into the story, it feels like it’s satisfying a pre-approved list, shifting its tone and focus each time a new moral needs to be delivered.
My adult brain began to wander in another orbit. The film borrows elements from other sources. You can catch a bit of Close Encounters in Elio’s desire for contact with another world, a dash of Lilo & Stitch in the oddball-kid-meets-alien-friend dynamic, and even some Star Wars vibes with its mix of bureaucratic councils and galactic royalty. I also found my mind drifting to where this ranks among other Pixar releases. It lands in the lower third—though near the top of that group. While the narrative is overstuffed, a genuine warmth comes through. It ends on a touching note. And to be fair, the neon swirl of sherbet shades will likely keep younger kids engaged. It’s not bad—just not great. This space saga has heart. It reaches for the stars but remains on a familiar course.
06/18/25