Elio

Elio is another heartwarming gem from Pixar. The animation is beautiful, with rich colors and amazing space designs. The story blends emotion, humor, and action in a way that only Pixar can. You really feel for Elio as he navigates a strange new world, and the ending is both powerful and satisfying. The film balances fun alien adventures with quiet, touching moments that stay with you. It's a classic Pixar mix of wonder and warmth - not just great for kids, but meaningful for adults too.

Synopsis: For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers--in Disney and Pixar's all-new feature film "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.

Elio is a wonderful Sci-Fi Fantasy about an ungrateful boy who's granted a wish when he's whisked away on an incredible journey, at the end of which he learns that there's no place like home. Pixar's Elio has heart.

It's everything that i love about Pixar original films. It treats it's characters like real human beings and takes them on a full journey both inside and out (no pun intended). It's a movie for kids and adults and doesn't insult anyone's intelligence or sensibilities. Its a fest for the eyes, the brain, and the Soul.

Some Comps for it would be: E. T. The Wizard of Oz Luca

Don't expect Elio to be like Lilo & Stitch. Elio's alien friend is not written as a pet. He's his own character complete with a story arc. Trust me, it's well done.

Elio ends up feeling like Pixar at its most generic with so many recycled beats and supposed emotional moments taken from any one of their other movies without any of the impact. The film just feels like it's trying to get those tears out of you from the very first scenes and it actually started to annoy me very quickly and annoying really is the main word I associate with this viewing experience. It feels so emotionally manipulative and as a result most of the beats fall completely flat. The script just seems to be allergic to subtlety and there wasn't a single resolution I didn't see coming from a mile away after the first 20 minutes. It got the odd chuckle out of me but for the most part I found the characters to be complete non-entities and outside of the main aunt-nephew relationship I don't think the film took enough time to build up it's dynamics. Even the visuals, which are admittedly impressive, still feel close to images we've seen in better Pixar movies but without any of real spectacle. This movie bored me and it annoyed me but for the most part I felt nothing whilst watching it and those my least favourite kind of movie watching experiences. It's abundantly clear at this point how good Pixar can be so that makes it even more frustrating when they make as much of a nothing movie as Elio as turned out to be.

There's something deeply satisfying about sitting down for a film and realising - thank god - it's not a reboot, not a sequel, not a reimagining of an 80s toy you forgot existed. 'Elio' is a brand-new Pixar original, and I liked that. The concept? Brilliant on paper. An 11-year-old boy accidentally becomes Earth's ambassador to an intergalactic council. It sets the stage for something wild, emotional, and full of imagination.

And it's cute. It really is. The alien designs are charming, the colours pop, and the relationship between Elio and his mum is genuinely lovely. There are moments that tug at the heart, and Glordon (his gooey alien pal) is an absolute standout.

But 'Elio' plays it painfully safe. It never fully commits to the weirdness or depth that the premise begs for. It follows a very familiar Pixar formula and never strays far from it. You can see every emotional beat and plot point coming a mile away.

This kind of story - kid feels like an outsider, gets whisked into a cosmic adventure, discovers they're more than they thought - has been done too many times, and better. Think 'E. T.', 'The Iron Giant', 'Lilo & Stitch'. 'Elio' doesn't quite hit those emotional highs or carve out a voice of its own.

That said, if you've got kids, take them - they'll have a great time. It's sweet, wholesome, and easy to watch. But if you're expecting something truly new or memorable, this one's probably fine to skip until it hits streaming.

Final Verdict: 🌟 Lovely to look at, but plays it too safe.

👶 Great for little ones.

📺 Best saved for Disney+.

I do appreciate that it isn't a remake nor sequel to an existing IP by Disney and Pixar. It's nice to see a new story and original idea without having to constantly be slammed with remakes and sequels.

To begin with, the concept of Elio is pretty good as a story about venturing through the new world, UFO's, alien adventures and mishaps sound is pretty cool. Throughout, once again, the animation is rich of colors, vibrate lights, and the designs are cute and well-structured. Pixar never fails to impress with their high quality animation style and designs. Especially with the alien designs, I really loved their movements and structures. Alongside with the sound designs, the colorful vibe atmosphere, and there is a good sense of humor as it does balance out with some of the emotional levels together.

However, despite the good concept, the writing unfortunately doesn't fully take advantage with the creative concept as it thinks. There are certain moments in the story that felt cliches with modern children animation tropes, and emotional and complex moments that seemed interesting, but the execution comes off as it plays a bit too safe. I understand that it's for children, but in the past, Pixar has been able to put good complex themes within their works and it makes it a great emotional experience. Because of this, it didn't felt as impactful nor connectable as I would have liked.

The character of Elio is okay as his development offers a good insight with the setting and atmosphere. But the other characters weren't really as interesting, as they felt undeveloped and uninteresting to observe. The voice performances, surprisingly, was pretty mild as despite some strong voice performances, some felt a bit awkward and out of place.

I'll be honest, it's a bit disappointing because I love to support more original new stories from Disney because they need to continue to bring out new worlds and stories. Unfortunately, Pixar and Disney has been falling into the "play safe" path, and it effects what made Disney in the past amazing. Overall, Elio is a okay popcorn Disney movie for the children but it's quite forgettable.