TL;DR – A charmingly beautiful film about finding yourself and also a love letter to Science Fiction.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Elio Review –

To say that Pixar has had a bit of a rough time recently is a bit of an understatement. Where they are not pushing out okay sequels to their classic films; they are trying to find original voices with mixed success. But when I heard that some of the creatives behind Turning Red, Bao, Coco & Luca were coming together for a new film, I knew something special was afoot, and I am glad that I was right.

So, to set the scene, Elio (Yonas Kibreab) does not have the easiest life with the loss of his parents, the two people in the world who could connect with him. His Tia Olga Solís (Zoe Saldaña) has tried, but there has always been this barrier that never could completely come down between them. However, one day, when he is at the Montez Space and Air Museum, he discovers a love for what might be out there, and might it be life that will actually understand him? For everyone else, this was a pipe dream of a difficult child. For Elio, it was everything, but I am not sure anyone was expecting the boy to be right. Or that the aliens might accidentally think he is Earth’s leader.

There is a lot I can say about this film, but I want to start with the animation. Every frame in this film is stunningly beautiful as it takes a familiar Pixar style and brings it into the universe. I have to doff my hat for all the outstanding alien character design alone, each being something understandable and fantastic in its own right. When we met all the ambassadors, I could not help but have a smile on my face as I was captivated by all its charm. The Communiverse is filled with wonders that are obviously targeted towards a certain demographic, but then I think there is a lot there for the parents as well.

From a narrative perspective, you can’t help but feel for Elio from the moment he is introduced. A kid struggling to find a connection, so much so that he is trying to connect with things not of this planet. Then, when he does connect, he is immediately out of his depth but not ready to admit it because that is what a kid would do in that situation. If you have watched these sorts of films before, you will probably guess where the story is going from the moment that Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) is introduced, and you would probably be right. But they approach every facet of the film with such charm that you are ready to be taken on the ride.

The one thing that I very much appreciated from start to finish was the love shown towards Science Fiction. This is not just a film set in space, but the history of Science Fiction is embedded into its very DNA. There are those big moments, like using a Carl Sagan narration as your narrative bookends. But then there are instants, like getting Kate Mulgrew to introduce an exhibition on the Voyager Probe, which is such a deep-cut reference that I could not help but smile. There are little nods to Galaxy Quest, The Terminator, Star Trek, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, just to name a few. Each and every moment is a pure delight.

But where Elio really lands is in the emotions. Throughout the film, I was laughing, I was concerned, and I was crying. There was joy and sadness, light and dark, triumph and loss. There is this sequence towards the end that, in any other film, would have felt forced. However, in Elio, they filled every moment with such charm that you just get taken away with it. This is because much of the narrative is anchored on the bond between Elio and Glordon (Remy Edgerly) as they find comradery in their very different yet similar lives. Honestly, every moment Elio and Glordon were on the screen was an actual delight. To add to this, we get a mesmerising musical score that helps tie everything together. Also, everyone in the voice cast brings their a-game, which makes all the silliness work.

In the end, do we recommend Elio? Absolutely. This is one of those films that touches you in your core and engages all of your emotions. Have you watched Elio? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Elio, we would recommend to you Moana. Okay, bye, I love you.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Elio
Directed by – Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi & Adrian Molina
Screenplay by – Julia Cho, Mark Hammer & Mike Jones
Music by – Rob Simonsen
Cinematography by – Derek Williams & Jordan Rempel
Edited by – Anna Wolitzky & Steve Bloom
Production/Distribution Companies – Pixar Animation Studios & Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Starring – Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly, Brandon Moon, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil, Young Dylan, Jake Getman, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ana de la Reguera, Atsuko Okatsuka, Shirley Henderson, Naomi Watanabe, Brendan Hunt, Anissa Borrego, Shelby Young, Bob Peterson, Kate Mulgrew & Tamara Tunie
Rating  – Australia: PG; Canada: PG; Germany: 6; New Zealand: PG; United Kingdom: PG; United States: PG