One of the mindsets of many internet reviewers that I’ve come to dislike over the years involves the ever-popular animation studio Pixar. Now, Pixar has established a reputation for itself over the decades, primarily creating imaginative stories with profound, complex themes that resonate with both children and adults about the human condition. Sadly, as the early movies turned out to be masterful works of art, people's expectations have grown, which is especially the case for kids like me who grew up with the likes of Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo. Every time a new Pixar movie is released, critics often expect it to be flawless. This is especially true for Pixar's latest release, Elio, which has drawn attention not from excitement but from a desire to prove that Pixar has lost its touch. Despite the lack of marketing and behind-the-scenes drama, I believe Elio, while imperfect, offers more heart and meaning than many live-action remakes currently dominating the market.
Elio of Earth (Yonas Kibreab) is an alien-obsessed kid who has never felt at home anywhere. Since his parents' death, he has been living with his Aunt Olga (Zoe Salanda), who tries her best to be a suitable parent to her highly active and imaginative nephew, who can never seem to take his head out of the stars. Olga sends Elio to camp to help him make new friends, but Elio still dreams of finding his place among aliens rather than fellow humans. Suddenly, Elio finds himself being beamed up by aliens and is introduced to alien ambassadors who declare Elio the ambassador of Earth. Unfortunately, he gets himself into a situation that he can’t get out of, as he must convince a monstrous alien known as Lord Grigon (Brad Garret) not to destroy the communiverse. With the help of Grigon’s son, Glordon (Remy Edgerly), Elio must stop chaos from ensuing while also trying to find out where he truly is meant to belong.
The Story is likable and straightforward while also sprinkling just enough emotional moments to balance things out. The writing is not as tight as some of Pixar's best movies, but I admired how much enjoyment I got out of the film for being fun and colorful, which is something I can’t say for Pixar’s last Sci-Fi film, Lightyear. It's worth noting that the movie was originally going to be directed by Coco’s co-director, Adrian Molina, as he based most of the film on his childhood experiences growing up at a military base. Unfortunately, Molina was unable to complete the story and left to pursue other projects at Pixar. That’s when Chief Creative Officer Pete Doctor replaced Molina with Directors Domee Shi of “Turning Red” fame and Madeline Sharafian, who directed the Pixar Sparkshort, “Burrow.” I’ll admit I was concerned when I heard the news. I was worried that, due to the director shift, the movie would lose its personal spark and end up being like The Good Dinosaur, where it's clear that Pixar didn’t have enough time to realize the movie fully. I stayed positive knowing Domee Shi was involved, as I think she’s an underrated director currently working at Pixar. Thankfully, although some conflicting writing styles are fighting for attention from time to time. The emotions are there, and so is the creativity. The worldbuilding, though, can feel a bit rushed at times, and it felt like all the essential aspects of the communiverse were explained too quickly at the beginning of the 2nd act. Still, the pacing makes everything feel worthwhile, and even clichéd moments, such as the “third act liar reveal,” do not overstay their welcome. This is not the best-written Pixar film by a long shot, but I'm glad I had the chance to see it in the theater, and the concepts of loneliness and belonging are aspects I truly felt and understood.
The Characters are good, with Elio being the most expressive and interesting of them all. The rest of the other characters, on the other hand, are good but don’t get enough time to flesh themselves out. Elio is a character I deeply resonated with, as what he truly wants is a sense of belonging, and he feels like the only one who could understand him is far beyond his planet. As someone who is autistic and has had feelings about other beings, unlike my own, possibly understanding me and my struggles, I related to Elio's upbringing, and his weird and unlikely quirks led me to believe that Elio might have autism himself, even if it's not fully stated in the movie. Elio’s Aunt Olga, played by Zoe Salanda, is an okay parental figure who may not be the best parent in Pixar’s Patheon, but does have her moments, especially toward the end. The alien characters each have unique voices and personalities, but part of me wishes I could know them a bit more. Characters like Questa and Helix have the makings of being larger-than-life personas, but the movie doesn’t give them enough time to become more substantial presences in the story. The alien characters that do have a more prominent presence are Lord Grigon and his son, Glordon. Grigon is played by a common Pixar voice actor, Brad Garret. I have to admit, knowing Garret’s voice roles in past Pixar films, it was such a welcome surprise to see him return to playing a Pixar character that he had not done since Finding Dory. Glordon, on the other hand, is cute and fun, making a friendly creature that Elio can befriend and have fun with, or even save the communiverse from time to time. While the alien characters receive less screen time than Elio himself does, all the characters were still enjoyable and even managed to elicit laughter and emotional responses when the film called for it.
The Animation is something that most of us can agree that Pixar never ceases to amaze us with, and this film is no different. The scenes of Earth start moody and bleak, while the scenes that take place in space or the communiverse are full of life and color. Sometimes, the opposite can happen when the emotions of the characters change. The character designs of the humans are almost identical to those of “Luca” or “Turning Red.” It differs from the human designs in The Incredibles or Toy Story franchises. Still, they remain expressive, and their apparel effectively reflects their personas, helping to emphasize who they are as characters. The alien designs, on the other hand, are where the creative character designs shine through. Each alien looks unique, and sets them apart from many other alien designs in similar animated movies. According to Pixar, each alien was inspired by the designs of larval insects, microscopic plants, and animals to enhance the alien-like appearance further. Pixar also utilized a brand-new lighting system called Luna, which enabled the animation team to pinpoint both the camera and its lighting simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate adjustments. People can say whatever they want about this movie's story and characters. However, I bet most can’t deny that when it comes to animation, Pixar is still one of the gold standards of visuals that pop with color and imagination.
The Music was composed by Rob Simonson, who also contributed additional music to the 2007 Sony Animation Movie “Surf’s Up” and composed entirely original music for films such as “The Whale” and “Love, Simon.” The music helps enhance the otherworldly feel for the grandness of the communiverse, and the emotional moments are made even stronger due to the subtle and soft melodies. Unfortunately, it may not compare with some of Pixar’s more memorable soundtracks for other films, and I do wish that the film had no copyrighted songs in the mix. Regardless, the music gets the job done, and Simonson made his mark by creating melodies worthy of being in a Pixar movie.
I want to keep supporting Pixar, and it sucks that people have mostly lost faith in them. Just like the main character himself, there is a place for this movie among those who seek to watch it. I found it imperfect and a little underdeveloped. However, I still admired the likable characters, beautiful animation, and a story that, while familiar, has a big heart that helps balance its mostly cheerful tone. Pixar will most likely never be like they were in its golden era. While it is great to look back at the accomplishments they have made in the past, it's just as important to support their future. I want to give new writers and directors a chance to express themselves in their own way, not in the way that Pixar legends like Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, or Brad Bird have done before. Pixar is more than perfection to me; it's about expressing creativity and embracing the highs and lows of being human. Not every Pixar movie will resonate with everyone, but Elio certainly did with me, flaws and all. I hope that people will come to embrace Pixar regardless of whether they make masterpieces again or just fun little movies like this one.
(Final Grade: A-)