What’s It About

Elio, an underdog with an active imagination, finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, he starts to form new bonds with eccentric aliens while discovering who he’s truly meant to be.

MOVIESinMO REVIEW

Pixar’s latest movie, “Elio,” takes us on a wild ride through space, but honestly? It’s really about finding where you belong. The 99-minute film mixes familiar Pixar feelings with flashy alien adventures, and while it doesn’t quite reach the emotional heights of classics like “Up” or “WALL-E,” it still packs enough heart to make you tear up. Introducing Elio Solis, an 11-year-old boy that is faced with a heavy circumstance. After losing both of his parents, Elio now lives with Aunt Olga who is stationed at Space Force base. Unfortunately, Elio feels like he does not belong anywhere. He describes himself as awkward, lonely, and frankly angry at the world. Instead of trying to establish friendships, Elio becomes obsessed with aliens. He spends his time at the beach writing “Aliens, Abduct Me” in the sand and using ham radios to send messages into space. His big dream? Getting whisked away to somewhere better because Earth clearly doesn’t want him. Sound familiar? It should. This setup feels a lot like “Lilo & Stitch,” where a kid and their guardian both struggle to figure out this whole family thing. Aunt Olga tries her best, but Elio pushes back hard. The more she sacrifices for him (including giving up her dream of becoming an astronaut), the more he resents her. But then something crazy happens – Elio actually makes contact with aliens! The Communiverse, which is basically like the United Nations but for every alien species in the galaxy, picks up his signal. They are convinced he is the leader of Earth, and they want him to join their galactic club. Now, shit gets interesting. Elio gets beamed up to this incredible alien realm that looks like someone put the most incredible, exotic deep-sea fish with high-end architecture. I mean, seriously, the animation is exceptional here. Glowing jellyfish against crystal palaces – it’s simply stunning eye candy; it just makes you want to live there. The movie’s biggest real strength is the heart of the film. Elio’s friendship with Glordon, a baby alien who does not wish to be a warrior like his father, was genuine and sweet. These two misfits hit it off instantly, and their time on screen is some of the movie’s best moments. Here’s where Elio stumbles just a little. The story attempts to pack in many different ideas. One minute, we’re dealing with Elio’s grief, the next, we’re in a space battle, and then, suddenly, a clone subplot emerges out of nowhere. It feels like three different movies trying to happen at the same time. The film had three directors (Adrian Molina, Domee Shi, and Madeline Sharafian), and honestly, it shows. Instead of one smooth story, it feels more like a TV series crammed into a movie. Some plot points get dropped without warning, and others feel rushed. “Elio” is one of those movies that does some things really well while stumbling on others. The animation stands out as absolutely gorgeous, especially when it comes to the alien designs. Each creature feels unique and imaginative, from the shape-shifting liquid computer to the jellyfish-like Ambassador Questa. The voice acting also deserves praise, particularly from young actors Yonas Kibreab and Remy Edgerly, who bring genuine emotion to their characters without sounding forced or overly cute. What really impressed me was how the movie treats people who believe in aliens with respect rather than mockery. In a world where it’s easy to make fun of UFO enthusiasts, “Elio” takes that hope seriously and understands why people look to the stars for connection. The family themes also hit hard, especially if you’ve dealt with loss yourself. However, the movie struggles with some serious pacing issues. The plot was all over the place, feeling confused and indecisive about the overall tone. Characters seem to just appear and then vanish, raising concerns about the logic behind their departure. Even more troubling, the film seemed to wear its themes on its sleeve and didn’t trust the audience to piece together the parts. The ending is also disappointingly safe — it didn’t surprise or throw any real curveballs. At the very least, “Elio” provides some good moments of emotional heft. The third act, where it finally brings everything together, made me choke up. Maybe it was because the film took loss seriously or more so because it never poked fun at the fact that there is someone out there who might understand us. The film asks a question that humans have wondered about forever: “Are we alone?” But it’s really asking something deeper – do we belong anywhere? For a kid’s movie, that’s pretty heavy stuff, but it handles it with the right mix of wonder and sadness. “Elio” isn’t Pixar’s best work, but it’s far from their worst. It’s a movie that tries to reach for the stars but doesn’t quite make it off the ground. The animation is beautiful, the voice acting is solid, and the core message about finding your place in the universe hits home. If you’re looking for the emotional depth of “Inside Out” or the storytelling magic of “Toy Story,” you might leave disappointed. But if you want a colorful space adventure with a genuine heart and some surprisingly deep themes about belonging, “Elio” delivers. The movie works best when it focuses on the simple stuff like a lonely kid finding a friend, a guardian learning to connect with their nephew and the idea that maybe, just maybe, we’re not as alone as we think. “Elio” is like a good friend who means well but tries too hard sometimes. It’s got heart, it’s got style, and it’s got something to say about loneliness and belonging. Sure, it stumbles along the way, but when it works, it really works. And in a world that often feels pretty lonely, maybe that’s enough.

OUR RATING – A MIXED BAG 7

MEDIA

• Genre – Family
• Street date
• Digital –August 19, 2025
• 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD – September 9, 2025
• Video – 1080p
• Screen size – 2.39:1
• Sound – English: Dolby Atmos, 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, 5.1 Dolby Digital, Descriptive Audio; French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
• Subtitles – English SDH, Spanish, French

Extras

• Inside the Communiverse: The World and Characters of Elio – In-dept* Inside the Communiverse: The World and Characters of Elio – In-depth behind the scenes look with multiple cast and crew at the design and development of Elio’s main characters and environments.
• Out of This World: An Astro Q&A – Voice actors Yonas Kibreab (Elio) and Remy Edgerly (Glordon) meet with a real-life astronaut to discuss space travel, possible alien life on other planets, and why it’s important to study space.
• Astronomic Art Class: Ooooo and Glordon – Join Nicolle Castro, the lead story artist, as she shares her role on the film and guides viewers through drawing the film’s Ooooo and Glordon characters.
• Extraterrestrial Easter Eggs and Fun Facts – Uncover the references and characters from some of your favorite Pixar films hidden throughout Elio, along with other fun facts.
• Galactic Gag Reel – Visit the recording booth with Elio’s voice actors.
• Deleted Scenes – Five scenes that didn’t make it into the final movie. While I can’t describe exactly what these deleted scenes are about, or why they were deleted, Disney’s press information does at least give each one a title. Namely:
• Bike Chase
• Garden Party
• Carver Legend
• Questa’s Second Test
• Home Visit