Elio, like its title character, is somewhat of an outsider. As much of Disney’s output across its various divisions has, for good or ill, shifted focus to prequels, sequels, remakes, reboots, and pre-established franchises, Pixar’s output in the 2020s has remained steadfastly dedicated to original works, save for last year’s Inside Out 2 and its TV spin-off Dream Productions, as well as the spin-off/prequel/reboot/misunderstood masterpiece that is Lightyear.
Indeed, if you don’t count a handful of critical darlings courtesy of 20th Century Studios’ “Searchlight” imprint, Elio is the only feature film across all of Disney’s 2025 releases to not be based on an existing intellectual property. So, does Pixar’s latest trek into the realm of science fiction, and the first to heavily feature aliens, live up to the kind of wonder and innovation we’ve come to expect from the studio? I am happy to report that the answer is in fact yes.
Elio Plot
Our story centers on the titular Elio, voiced by Yonas Kibreab, a lonely kid with an active imagination dissatisfied by home life with his Aunt Olga, voiced by Zoe Saldana, and desperate to get himself literally abducted by aliens and find his home among the stars. Soon enough, his wish is granted after he accidentally intercepts a signal from the Communiverse, a collective of the greatest minds across different species throughout the galaxy.
Mistaken for the leader of Earth and made its ambassador within the Communiverse, our young hero gets more than he bargained for when he’s thrust into deadly negotiations with the sinister Lord Grygon, voiced by Brad Garrett, and his warmongering alien army. With very little time and resources and an insatiable need to stay in his new interstellar home, Elio will do whatever it takes to stop Lord Grygon, save the Communiverse, and hopefully figure out where he truly belongs along the way.
Elio review
If there’s one word I would use to describe Elio, it would be “charming.” From the stylized animation and character designs to the vibrant and colorful alien worlds, the film simply oozes charm from its every pore. Like many of Pixar’s best films, it’s a very creatively energized story, introducing countless unique and fascinating concepts within its world that, in less capable hands, might prove overwhelming, but here simply adds to the wonder and aforementioned charm without ever losing focus of its core concept.
And while the film is certainly a visual spectacle, I would say its main source of charm comes from its characters. I could definitely see a younger me relating very hard to Elio, an introverted victim of bullying who never lets society or circumstances break his imagination and hyper-fixations. And the relationship between him and his Aunt Olga, an Air Force analyst who loves but doesn’t always understand her nephew, felt very authentic to the real-world single parent/child dynamic, though I can only speak as a child of divorce and not for Elio’s circumstances. (I won’t spoil it here, but…. it’s a Disney movie. You know.)
Honestly, the pair’s dynamic feels closer in spirit to the Lilo and Nani relationship from the original Lilo & Stitch than the recent remake did. And surprisingly, that’s not where the comparisons end. Much like the 2002 classic, this film’s alien designs have a unifying theme, but instead of aquatic life, it’s insects. Lord Grygon, who, by the way, provides the biggest source of comedy as a tyrannical warlord who’s also a single dad trying his best, and his hordes are like a cross between worms and cockroaches, personal pods in the Communiverse resemble insect eggs, and Jameela Jamil plays a giant pink radiodonta that can read minds, so that’s fun.
But at the heart of it all is the friendship between Elio and Glordon, voiced by Remy Edgerley, a tardigrade-like creature that might be the single cutest thing you see in theaters this year. He’s blunt yet compassionate, slimy and vaguely creepy yet innately huggable, and the way he and Elio find kindred spirits within each other as fellow outsiders is enough to make anyone with a functioning soul shed at least a tear or two.
With that said, is Elio an emotionally charged masterpiece like Inside Out or the Toy Story trilogy that makes you call your parents and/or therapist sobbing afterwards? Not really, but it isn’t trying to be, and frankly, I think the film, and Pixar as a whole, is better off trying to explore new ideas rather than just endlessly emulating what worked in the past. And that is what Elio is: a new, charming, imaginative idea that feels rather refreshing in a cinematic landscape dominated by old IP.
Is Elio Worth Watching?
I don’t know if Elio is going to crack anyone’s Pixar Top 10 (personally, it would probably crack my Top 15, but that’s neither here nor there), but I think that speaks more to the pedigree of the studio’s previous work than any sort of indictment on this film specifically. While again, it’s not going to fundamentally change your life philosophy, and I think some elements could’ve been more fleshed out, Elio is a sweet and boundlessly creative story with a strong emotional core. And in a summer surrounded by spectacle-driven franchise media, a simple, charming, and original story like this deserves to be celebrated.
Elio is now playing in theaters.
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