Elio

 

“Are we alone?”

Heartfelt, intergalactic and adorkable, Elio is an imaginative exploration of feeling lost in the universe and what it’s like to be truly found with dazzling animation, quirky humour and deep empathy for those who feel different and long for connection in another emotional win from PIXAR. 

Discussion Points:

Really glad to say this is another win from PIXAR. Not an all-time classic, but still a sincere and special film that I really enjoyed. As a former weirdo kid who felt left out a lot, it’s special to see a protagonist who’s empowered by his weirdness and allowed to thrive because of his eccentricities. Whilst behind-the-scenes production problems are evident in the credits, the final product mixes Adrian Molina (Coco), Domee Shi (Bao, Turning Red) and Madeline Sharafian (Burrow) creative skills to deliver an intergalactic adventure that’s colourful, creative and captivating. I appreciated that the stakes felt genuine, and the mixture of heart, humour, action and comedy all works really well together. Newcomer Yonas Kibreab brings a wonderful youthful exuberance to Elio, whilst Zoe Saldaña brings exasperated but still deep care to his aunt Olga. The rest of the alien ensemble are really fun and Elio’s bond with Glordon (voiced with hilarious playfulness by Remy Edgerly) is a true joy. I really loved Rob Simonsen’s celestial score and PIXAR continue to deliver some of the most detailed and impressive computer animation to date (seriously the sand in this film looks so hyper realistic!) Overall, this is a solid B+/A- for the studio that I’m really hoping people go and see on the big screen and don’t just wait til it streams on Disney+ - the space sequences are built for the cinema!