Pixar’s Elio doesn’t start with a bang, it starts with a feeling of loneliness, confusion, the ache of not fitting in. From the beginning, the film taps into the headspace of a kid who’s grieving, unsure of his place in the world, and desperate for connection.
What makes this story so special is how it wraps that very human emotion in a cosmic adventure full of strange aliens, galactic councils, and Spielberg-style wonder. This is Pixar’s most offbeat movie in years, but one of its most personal.
The story follows Elio, a young boy with a vivid imagination and a growing sense that he doesn’t belong. His mom and dad are gone, and his relationship with his aunt, voiced by America Ferrera is strained. On top that school is a nightmare of bullies and isolation.
One day, at a museum Elio stumbles into a space exhibit that tell the story of the Voyager and after after listening to the golden record, he decides he wants out out of this world. He actively embarks on a journey to be abducted by aliens, and after a series of wild events, he gets his wish.
That’s how Elio ends up in the Communiverse, an intergalactic society filled with bizarre, vibrant alien species. They think he’s Earth’s official leader and and they are interested in him becoming an ambassador. This thrusts him in a wild mission.
At it’s core the movie is about a kid learning who he is by getting thrown into the deep end of the unknown. The journey is less about saving the world and more about saving himself and those that he loves. Along the way he meets an alien named Glordon, a slug-like creature. This releationship is the film’s emotional anchor, adding humor and heart to the story’s middle stretch.
The movie was directed by Adrian Molina (Coco), Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi,the film leans into classic ’80s sci-fi adventure DNA. At times, it feels like Close Encounters of the Third Kind reimagined through the eyes of a kid and a spiritual cousin to to the movie Explorers with its childlike curiosity and wide-eyed optimism.
There’s real atmosphere here, too. Pixar’s visual team, inspired by both Spielberg’s dreamlike haze and the darker corners of Alien and The Thing, craft otherworldly settings that feel eerie and magical all at once, and it’s pretty awesome.
Yonas Kibreab delivers a beautifully vulnerable performance as Elio. His voice work gives the character a quiet strength and softness.
What’s impressive is how Elio never forgets its emotional core. The laughs are there, the adventure is big, but it always circles back to the pain and hope that push Elio forward. The film explores the universal desire to be seen and understood.
There are a few moments in the movie that are pretty emotional, which, as you know, is what Pixar is good at. They sure do love to pull on the heart strings.
While this movie might not be a massive crowd-pleaser in the way some of Pixar’s past hits were, there’s an audience out there that will enjoy it and appreciate the story that it tell.
Elio may not have been heavily marketed, and on paper, it might not sound like a major Pixar event. But, the film surprises you with its heart, its aesthetic ambition, and its deeply relatable message.
It’s not just about first contact with aliens, it’s about first contact with yourself. If you give it a chance, this strange little space odyssey might just speak to something real inside you.
