Elio is a fun space (mis)adventure about a boy whose greatest wish comes true: to be abducted by aliens.
It's a good concept, and as a sci-fi diversion for kids, it generally works, but while Pixar's new film is colorful and imaginatively animated, it doesn't reach the heights of absolute greatness.
Directors: Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi
Writers: Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, Mike Jones
Stars: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly
Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) is, as is often the case, a bit of a misfit, but, of course, that's not his fault. The boy lost his parents at a young age and is being raised by his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana), who is in the military and works at a coastal base, where they track space debris.
It's not that they don't get along—Olga is a great person who tries her best—but because of his trauma, Elio doesn't really feel at home in this world, so he looks up to the sky, and possibly beyond, hoping that one day aliens will come and transport him to a better place.
Elio fulfills his wish to embark on an intergalactic journey, and the result is an entertaining and somewhat predictable story, which, inevitably, being a Disney movie, will end with a sentence that includes the words "family" and "home."
A lot happens in the meantime. Most of it takes place in Communism, a place (and I quote) "made of translucent and luminescent qualities with a vaguely defined gravity," where extraterrestrial ambassadors from all corners of the universe gather to welcome Elio, who, through a slight misunderstanding, due to a slightly exaggerated distress message, is assumed to be the leader of Earth.
Unfortunately for Elio, he faces fierce competition: Don... no, the monstrous Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), who also aspires to become Earth's ambassador to Communism.
To avoid being thwarted, Elio befriends Glordon (Remy Edgerly), who happens to be Grigon's incredibly sympathetic son and, like a true peacemaker, doesn't want to be like his warmongering father.
It's a fun relationship that livens up a film that, most of the time, seems too busy jumping from one plot point to another.
Written by Adrian Molina, Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, and Mike Jones, Elio was originally going to be directed by Molina, whose credits include Ratatouille and Coco. However, he was replaced by Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian, but due to his previous work, he was allowed to retain his helm.
Additionally, there was an extensive rewrite, as America Ferrara was originally going to voice Elio's mother, but apparently, due to scheduling conflicts, she was replaced by Zoe Saldana, not as Elio's mother, but as his aunt.
These things happen, but this indicates there was some behind-the-scenes drama that may have affected the film's quality. It's a shame, because Disney and Pixar have had a lot of success in recent years with sequels, like Inside Out 2, but not so much with original films (anyone remember Wish?).
Another thing that bothers me about this film is that the idea of the Communicverse feels too much like the Metaverse, which already makes it feel a bit dated.
In a way, I think Elio is the film that's supposed to create an interconnected fabric between, on the one hand, Pixar and, on the other, Marvel, Star Wars, and, I guess, Alien, since there are Aliens of all kinds, including an adorable little package named Ooooo, voiced by the inimitable Shirley Henderson, and I think I even saw some nods to the Alien franchise.
This is all well and good, especially if that's the kind of franchise you're passionate about, but it's also about all the brands you find on Disney+, and lumping them all together felt a bit cynical.
But even if it were just me, Elio, with its virtues and flaws, isn't even close to being among Pixar's best films. And for a "brand" that used to frequently crush it, that might be the real problem.
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