Elio

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+.

Just didn't hit anything and was overall a bit meh. Predict this will finish it run and melt away into obscurity. The story was not very well built and rumbled along on the ruins of whatever it was they tried to build. It needed a small funny sidekick at the very minimum. I know its an overused trope but this film needed laughs from somewhere cause it couldn't find them anywhere else. It tied up pretty neatly and everything worked out as you'd expect but not enough for me to be the slightest bit interested in the after credit scene.

I'll repeat myself but it was meh and we'll, boring.

Best thing about it is the use of Talking Heads in the soundtrack.

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.

I watched Elio, and honestly, it felt highly rushed. The movie spent more time building up Elio's plot and his life on Earth than it did on the actual space adventure - which should've been the heart of the story for growth. Even then, the space part lacked complexity, everything just felt short and underdeveloped. I know it's a kids' movie, but it still felt like it could've been much more. Kids are capable understanding some complex situations. Take WallE and monsters, Inc for example. Overall, it came off as rushed and missing the emotional or narrative weight it needed. I see the vision but it needed more.

A very entertaining film that's not just for kids - adults will find a lot to appreciate, too. The main character is incredibly sweet and deals with relatable, everyday issues in a heartfelt way.

Visually, it's beautifully animated as you'd expect from Pixar. It definitely resembles ,Luca' regarding its looks.

More importantly, the story touches on timely and meaningful themes: loneliness, grief, and how people from different backgrounds can come together when it really matters. It's thought-provoking without being heavy. Definitely worth watching, even if it's not among Pixar's absolute top-tier films.