Pixar’s “Elio” A Heartfelt, Beautifully Animated Story for the Whole Family

For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers - in Disney and Pixar’s all new feature “Elio,” the universe calls back!

The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking.

Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.

Disney and Pixar’s original animated feature film “Elio” is a great little cosmic wonder that delivers a world of great characters, beautiful animation (as always for Pixar) and the film’s theme that centers on self-esteem, among other things.

In the latest Pixar adventure, we are introduced to the lead character, Elio, who’s already going through his own emotional journey as he tragically lost his parents not that long ago. After they died, Elio lives with his always busy military aunt and he eventually begins to feel a little lost.

The sci-fi angle of this imaginative animated film brings a lot of charm, wonder and humor to the story, which helps bring balance to the film’s deeper moments. The alien world that Elio ends up going to is visually impressive and the alien characters are quite entertaining.

One small subplot that involves the alien character Glordon, who’s a tender-hearted son of a fierce warlord ruler. Glordon can really steal the show many times throughout the animated feature and ultimately becomes the friend that Elio needs and wants.

The scenes featuring both Elio and Glordon are both fun to watch and a little moving as both of these characters have a connection as outsiders. Their shared feeling of not belonging actually tightens their bond as well. An emotional moment also involves Glordon (who’s usually quite confident) as he reveals his fear of disappointing his father. Even the small plot involving Glordon and his father is another nice touch to this

already moving story.

While this film is quite moving and visually well done, a bit of the story can be somewhat predictable - which won’t ruin the good time you and the family will have with this Pixar film. Just like most Pixar films, “Elio” delivers quite a few themes and messages that will resonate with most viewers.

“Elio” conveys several messages, particularly about self-acceptance, courage and the importance of connection. The animated film also explores themes of loneliness, vulnerability and the power of empathy. It also touches on the idea that being different doesn’t have to mean being alone.

Overall, Pixar’s “Elio” is a solid animated film for the whole family to enjoy. The story is beautiful, the animation is incredible and most of the film’s themes are relatable. And, with a great balance of humor and emotion, “Elio” is a great watch for both children and adults.

Cast: Yonas Kibreab (Elio/Other Elio); Zoe Saldana (Olga Solis); Remy Edgerly (Glordon); Brandon Moon (Ambassador Helix); Jameela Jamil (Ambassador Questa); Jake Getman (Caleb); Young Dylan (credited as Dylan Gilmer) (Bryce); Brad Garrett (Lord Grigon).

Writer/director: Julia Cho (writer) (Turning Red); Mark Hammer (writer) (Amazon Prime’s Shotgun Wedding); Mike Jones (writer) (Soul; Luca); Madeline Sharadian (director) (2021 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Animation); Domee Shi (director) (Turning Red; the Pixar short Bao).

Trivia: The character Olga Soltis was initially going to be voiced by actress America Ferrara and was intended to be Elio’s mother. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Olga was rewritten as Elio’s aunt, with Zoe Saldana taking on the voice role. “Elio” marks the third sci-fi film for Pixar - the others includes “WALL-E” and “Lightyear.”

MPA: Rated PG for some action/peril and thematic elements   (runtime 100 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is2meozrnx0

• The film was supposed to be a more autobiographical story, like most of Pixar's films during the first half of the 2020s, to be directed by Coco co-director Adrian Molina. In particular, the film was supposed to represent Molina's lonely childhood and how he overcame that loneliness when he went to animation college at CalArts. Notably, this film version was so far into development that a trailer was publicly released in June 2023. However, after Pixar CCO Pete Docter decided to pivot away from personal stories in favor of universal appeal films, Elio was heavily reworked to meet this new goal. Most notably, Molina departed as director to help co-direct Coco 2, entrusting the project to Turning Red director Domee Shi and Burrow director Madeline Sharafian. However, Molina still retains a director's credit on the film due to a heavy amount of his work being kept for the new cut, such as all the character designs.

• Kate Mulgrew voices the narrator in the museum talking about the Voyager space probe. Kate Mulgrew is famous for playing Captain Kathryn Janeway of the starship Voyager on the sci-fi series "Star Trek Voyager"

• Olga Solis was initially going to be voiced by America Ferrera and was intended to be Elio's mother. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Olga was rewritten as Elio's aunt, with Zoe Saldaña taking on the voice role.

• Pixar Animation Studios's third science fiction film, with the first two being WALL·E (2008) and Lightyear (2022).

• The film didn't get a that much of a huge promotion push, owning to it being released smack dab between two films Disney gave more promotional backing to, Lilo & Stitch (2025) and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), two films that are based on established IP rather than an original story, which the studio saw it as an afterthought, especially considering the delay of the film itself giving them not giving them enough resources to fund its marketing.