Elio Review

‘Elio’ is the latest animated film from Pixar. It’s an original tale following a boy named Elio on a quest to find his place in the world, believing that it’s not among the humans on Earth but instead is actually among the stars, with aliens. It’s a really sweet entry in Pixar’s line-up, with a heartwarming message that even though there are differences between family members, first and foremost that’s where people belong. The animation of the film is splendid, with so many colours popping off every corner of the screen. It’s a joy to watch, and a film that teaches families to accept the oddball in their lives.

‘Elio’, of course, stars the titular Elio, voiced by Yonas Kibreab, as he navigates the stars attempting to find his family. It’s a heartwarming tale aided by the heartwarming voice of Kibreab. It makes Elio an extremely endearing character, and something that quickly endears audiences and keeps them with Elio for the rest of the movie. Throughout his journey, Elio meets all sorts of weird and wonderful aliens, and makes a new friend during his travels, Glordon. While having the appearance of a slug, mixed with a spider’s ability to weave silk, and lacking any visible eyes, Glordon is somehow cute, thanks to voice actor’s Remy Edgerly’s young voice. Appearances aren’t everything.

After the death of his parents, Elio lives with his Aunt Olga, voiced by Zoe Saldaña. She reluctantly cares for Elio, not properly understanding how to handle his eccentricities and raise the kid. She’s overwhelmed, something that is well communicated through the facial expressions and Saldaña’s strained voice. Her arc over the course of the film does feel a little rushed, with a key moment of it taking place off-screen. This makes her journey slightly less satisfying than it could have been had an extra scene or two been included.

Pixar films often look stunning, but this is one place where ‘Elio’ blows other films out the water. Vibrant colours permeate across nearly every frame of the screen, like in the Communiverse, as Elio flies through the different areas, or even his clothes, his cape being a particularly bright green. Seeing the film on the big screen no doubt helped these colours pop even more. This beautiful world is under threat from the warmongering Lord Grigon, and Elio has to stop him. It’s a low-stakes affair though, only because everything comes together for Elio rather easily in the end, which does lessen the weight of what’s going on.  

‘Elio’ went through production trouble and delays on its journey to the cinema, but thankfully what was released is not compromised by this. Judging by the very first trailer for the film, parts of Elio’s character and plot were radically changed for the final release. This is something that would usually raise red flags, but it doesn’t appear to have affected the quality of what audiences see, and if not for the first trailer audiences wouldn’t know that this version of the film wasn’t the one that was originally made.

The key theme of ‘Elio’ is searching for a sense of belonging. This isn’t a new theme, it’s something that crops up time and time again. It’s often seen in movies aimed at younger audiences as they themselves are trying to figure out where they belong, so it’s a pertinent message. It adds a wholesome, pleasant feeling, though it does lessen its originality. But there are still original ideas that make the film unique, like wanting to be abducted by aliens and more.

The best Pixar films are ones where adults can get something out of as well as kids in the audience. ‘Elio’ doesn’t quite give adult audiences as much to chew on or relate to as much as previous entries, it’s still a pleasant breeze. There are no scenes or moments that will make older audiences wish they were somewhere else entirely, like some films aimed at younger audiences often do.

Pixar films usually have a dash of humour to them, and ‘Elio’ is no different. While the jokes are minimal, they do land, giving the audience chuckles throughout the short run time of the film. It helps keep the light-hearted nature of the film intact throughout.

‘Elio’ is a pleasant entry in the Pixar line-up of films. Visually stunning, Elio endears himself to the audience with his sense of wonder, making friends with the adorable Glordon and learning the unoriginal but important theme of where he truly belongs. His Aunt learns a similar lessen of belonging, though an extra scene on this would have greatly improved her overall arc. Humour is minimal but used effectively, always getting a laugh, and while adults likely won’t get the same out of the film as younger audiences, it’s very much a worthwhile and wholesome watch.