Elio

Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) searches for alien life in Elio (Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Pixar’s latest, the sci-fi adventure Elio, is solid, which is somewhat of a disappointment for them, though it is one of their better entries in the last five years. It doesn’t reach the emotional highs that made everything the studio did must-see for a while. The story is decent, focusing on loneliness and a desperate desire to belong somewhere. The animation is perfectly fine, without any visuals that will truly wow the viewer. What it has going for it more than anything else is that it is sweet and cute, with likable characters and a heartwarming message. While there is a threat, it is one that can be battled with kindness and honesty, as opposed to violence and explosions. It is an enjoyable movie, entertaining and well-made. They can’t all be classics. Sometimes you just need something that is a pleasant use of an hour-and-a-half.

Elio is a little boy living with his aunt after the death of his parents. He doesn’t feel like he has a home or family anymore and longs to go to space, where he thinks he is meant to be. When he actually finds himself abducted by aliens, he believes he has found his destiny. However, in order to take his place among them, he must first complete a dangerous mission.

This one feels more like a modern Disney movie than most of Pixar’s output. The setup is simple, there isn’t a ton of depth (either to the story or the characters), the themes are mostly surface level and the writing is aimed a bit more toward children. Adults may like it (I did), yet it feels like it skews a little younger than usual. Elio (87 minutes, plus mid/post-credit scenes) doesn’t pander or talk down to its audience. It also doesn’t quite capture the type of magic you would probably expect from a story where a kid travels into space and meets colorful aliens. A lot of the recent Disney animated releases are like this; they are good enough at what they do, but leave you wishing they would have done a bit more.

Elio hangs out with Glordon (voiced by Remy Edgerly)

Elio is a good kid who feels out of place with his aunt. She is doing the best she can in an awful situation, but also has her career to think about. He thinks she wants to be free of him, which couldn’t be further from the truth. That is the drama at the center of this story. He is disconnected from his life as a result of his mother and father dying. The mystery of space is alluring to him, in part because nobody knows what is out there. He would be the first human, so he wouldn’t have to be the kid with the dead parents. He could be anything. That is what motivates him to seek out alien life. It is also what motivates him to go slightly too far when he finds it. He only wants to be accepted in a way he feels is impossible on Earth.

Even when things start to get out of hand for Elio, Elio attempts to remain grounded in human (or some other species) emotions. It sometimes succeeds. It is easy to understand why Elio does what he does, especially when you consider his age. He has a heck of an imagination, that, unexpectedly, is almost matched by the reality he finds. The relationship he develops with Glordon, a terrifying looking slug-like creature who turns out to be adorable and harmless, is amusing and effective. Most of this is pretty nice, in fact, which can be satisfying enough on a hot summer day.

3¼ out of 5

Voice Cast:

Yonas Kibreab as Elio

Zoe Saldaña as Olga

Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon

Remy Edgerly as Glordon

Directed by Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi

Screenplay by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer and Mike Jones