Movie Review: Elio

By John Corrado

Elio, the very sweet new animated film from Pixar, uses the age old question of “are we alone in the universe?” to explore the very real topic of loneliness, namely that of the titular Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab).

Elio is a space-obsessed kid who has been left living on a military base with his Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) following the death of his parents. Olga is overwhelmed trying to balance caring for her nephew with the demands of her job, and Elio struggles to make friends, spending his nights lying in the sand hoping to be abducted by aliens.

It’s this hope, that he will fit in more on some other planet than he does on Earth, that sets the plot in motion. Elio sends a message to space that gets answered and, much to his delight, he is beamed up to a command centre for different planetary ambassadors called the Communiverse, where they mistake him for the leader of Earth. It’s here that he encounters a variety of alien creatures, including chief villain Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), a warlord who seeks to destroy. Elio also befriends Grigon’s son, a worm-like creature named Glordon (Remy Edgerly).

The film offers up imaginative and colourful visuals, with the various alien creatures allowing the animators to play around with different character designs. The film itself functions as a satisfying mix of visually dazzling sci-fi adventure, quirky comedy, and heartfelt storytelling. It works because, as zany as things can often get, it’s rooted in the bonds between the characters. Not only the budding, interspecies friendship between Elio and Glordon, but also the surrogate parent relationship between Elio and Aunt Olga.

This is where the film finds much of its heart and depth. Elio’s social challenges and intense special interest in space suggest that he is possibly on the autism spectrum (Olga even has a copy of the book Raising Your Spirited Child that she consults). The film is honest about the difficulties of raising a higher-needs child, but it has deep compassion for both characters, heartbreakingly showing the challenges Elio faces trying to navigate the world as well (including showing him being bullied by other kids, in a few upsetting moments).

If the story itself covers some familiar ground, it’s all done well, and Elio comes together quite nicely in the end. Which is a relief, since the film went through some well-documented production troubles, having been overhauled from its original teaser trailer (it was originally supposed to open over a year ago). The film was initially set to be the solo directorial debut of Coco co-director Adrian Molina, before Domee Shi (Turning Red) and Madeline Sharafian (the short film Burrow) were brought on take over the project.

This isn’t really anything new for Pixar (i.e., similar director swaps happened behind the scenes on Ratatouille, Brave, and The Good Dinosaur). There is a feeling that Elio might’ve only found itself along the way, but Shi and Sharafian do a good job of pulling these ideas and story threads together into an entertaining, emotionally resonant story, while retaining some of the more personal elements that Molina (who still gets a credit) brought to it as well. And as we know from Turning Red, Shi herself has plenty of experience navigating the coming-of-age genre.

The most resonant aspect of Elio is how it explores the feeling of social isolation and the desire to fit in, but not really knowing how. Right from the magical and touching opening scenes, Elio sets up its protagonist as a grieving, lonely child who is deeply curious about space exploration, and the possibility of finding a place in the universe where he can be accepted. It’s this sense of wonder, but also alienation, that sets the tone for the movie. The inspired use of Carl Sagan narration also adds to the feeling of looking up at the stars, wondering where you fit in.

The film offers vibrant pacing and plenty of humour (and even a few hints at what Pixar doing body horror might look like). But it’s the story’s emotional themes about loneliness and finding your place in the world as an outsider that are sure to resonate with audiences. There is a genuine sweetness to the film. It’s what we want from Pixar; laughs and maybe a few tears, with endearing characters and a message that stays with you.