Elio (2025)

 

Elio (2025)

6/10

Starring the voices of

Yonas Kibreab

Zoe Saldaña

Remy Edgerly

Brandon Moon

Brad Garrett

Jameela Jamil

 

Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi and Adrian Molina

 

Elio is the next animation from Disney/Pixar after Inside Out 2, which was a great success. The challenge this movie is facing at the box office is sparking debate about how new ideas no longer pull in numbers the way recycled IP does.

But back to the movie itself. I have to say, the whole concept was new to me. The way things unfolded caught me off guard a lot of the time. That made the movie very engaging because you had no idea where it was going. I was locked in to see how it would all end.

The movie is very family-friendly. Disney/Pixar sticks to the routine of lacking a parent, or in this case, lacking parents, as our lead, Elio, grows up with his aunt on a military base. As you’d expect, the effects are amazing and the voice acting is well done enough to get you lost in the viewing.

But the story wasn’t as humor-based as I would’ve liked. I worry that children may not get as engaged in the story as adults would. The plot leans more into the thrill of the quest than the comedy in it. Adults will appreciate the themes. There’s the disconnect between real issues and overconfidence that many of us face, the challenge of trying to fit in, and the idea that maybe the place to find “your people” isn’t where you think it is.

The movie coasted a lot. It picked up toward the end but never got high enough to make me say this is one of the best animations out there.

Elio is about a young boy named Elio who becomes obsessed with aliens and life on other planets. This obsession makes him beg to be abducted, and one day, it actually happens. He’s taken by the Communiverse, a collection of leaders from other planets. Elio, a child, lies that he’s the leader of Earth.

While they’re showing him around, another leader, Lord Grigon, gets rejected from becoming a member of the Communiverse. Infuriated, he decides to take over the Communiverse by force. Elio, not wanting to be returned to Earth, volunteers to negotiate with Lord Grigon to avoid an invasion.

The failed negotiation leads to Elio meeting Glordon, Lord Grigon’s son. They come up with a plan to save the Communiverse. The success of the plan depends on Grigon not being deceived and not recognizing his own son.

Would I recommend this animation? Sure. But it’s miles away from the best things I’ve seen from the mouse factory.