Disney Pixar’s Elio is an excellent adventure, a perfect combination of well-crafted visuals and emotional depth. A truly original film that makes for a refreshing viewing experience.
Is there life beyond Earth? Journey to the cinema to find out in Disney Pixar’s latest and first Sci-Fi adventure: Elio. Elio is a young boy who, having recently lost his parents, moves in with his aunt. Unable to find a place to belong in his new life, Elio looks to space to find his place. Recently, Pixar films have failed to reach the level of creativity and emotional depth that fans have come to expect; however, Elio is a refreshing change to this trend. Over the years, we have seen Pixar bring to life toys, cars, bugs, fish, and now they’ve turned their unique creative powers to aliens in this refreshingly original film.
So does Elio make contact with outer space and steal our hearts in the process, or does it fail to launch?
REVIEW
Elio (Jonas Kibreab) is a lonely kid who feels like an inconvenience to his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) and an outsider on Earth. This is a kid not grappling with the overused ‘misunderstood’ trope, but rather a child searching for a sense of belonging. The film is unique from beginning to end. We journey with Elio as he begs to be abducted by aliens after discovering an exhibit for NASA’s Voyager 1 Space Probe. Not once have we ever seen anyone wish to be abducted by aliens in the way that Elio does. His attempts led Olga, a well-ranking military officer with astronaut aspirations (which were postponed indefinitely when she took custody of Elio after the death of his parents), to send him to an army camp.
The camp is quite possibly the worst place for a kid like Elio. Yet it highlights the lack of communication between the pair, who focus upon their differences rather than their similarities – an obsession with space.
ABDUCTION
Once Elio is abducted from Earth, he is taken to the Communiverse. This planet is home to a collection of the most intelligent and kind beings in the universe, known as ambassadors. The design of the Communiverse and its alien inhabitants is straight out of a child’s imagination. It perfectly captures the essence of wonder. The aliens are unique, varied creatures, unlike anything we have seen before. Elio slots perfectly into this fantastical world, even if he does bolster himself on a lie to the ambassadors that inhabit the Communiverse.
THE COMMUNIVERSE
As it turns out, Elio was right. Whilst on the Communiverse, he makes his very first friend since his parents died, Glordon (Remi Edgerly). Glordon is a worm-like alien, without a nose or eyes. Think of a typical Sci-Fi film – the creepy creature hunting the protagonists in the dark. That would be Glordon! Except in this film, he is a lovable, high-energy softy who falls more into the ‘Misunderstood’ trope. Elio and Glordon are a fantastic duo, perfectly capturing childhood friendship. They embody the energy of unsupervised children as they connect through drinking too many fizzy drinks, eating junk food, and getting into harmless trouble. It’s a beautiful display of friendship and vulnerability.
As the film progresses, we see a level of vulnerability from every main character, not just from Elio and Glordon but also from Olga and Glordan’s father, Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett). With an emphasis on communication and finding common ground, it’s a fantastic piece of Pixar messaging that will resonate more with adults than younger viewers, as is the Pixar way.
VERDICT
Elio is an excellent Pixar film, a perfect combination of well-crafted visuals and emotional depth. A truly original film that makes for a refreshing viewing experience. Full of laughs, emotional highs, and a touching message centred around belonging, which is relatable for audiences of all ages. Elio is a vibrant, star-studded adventure.
Please share your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for reading!
Disney Pixar’s Elio is playing in cinemas everywhere now.
Darcie Gray is the Fashion Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being a passionate Star Wars fan, she loves every genre of movies and she channels her passion for film into her personal blog Just Another Film Blog. Follow her on Twitter where she shares her love of film regularly.
