Elio Review

     Is there life beyond Earth? Journey to the cinema to find out in Pixar's latest and first Sci-Fi adventure: Elio. Elio is a young boy, who having recently lost his parents goes to live with his aunt. Unable to find a place to belong in his new life, Elio looks to space to find his place. Pixar is known for it's touching animated features and shorts, which often tackle complex emotions. Their films are aimed at viewers of all ages, which tends to result in life-long fans. We have seen Pixar bring to life; toys, cars, bugs and fish, now they've turned their unique creative powers to aliens, in a refreshingly original feature: Elio. So does Elio make contact with outer-space and steal our hearts in the process or does it fail to launch? Read on for my full review. 

Elio (Jonas Kibreab) is a lonely kid, who feels like a 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 place to belong. The film is unique from beginning to end, as we journey with Elio as he begs to be abducted by aliens after discovering an exhibit for Nasa's Voyager 1 Space Probe. His attempts lead to Olga, a well-ranking military officer with astronaut aspirations (That were postposed indefinitely when she took custody of Elio after the death of his parents) to send him to military camp. The camp is quite possible the worst place for a kid like Elio yet highlights the lack of communication between the pair, who focus upon their differences rather than their similarities - an obsession with space. 

Once Elio is abducted from Earth he is taken to the Communiverse, a collection of the most intelligent and kind beings in the universe. The design of the Communiverse and its alien inhabitants are straight from the imagination of a child. The aliens are unique, varied creatures, unlike anything we have seen before. With such a bold look, the film could look slightly chaotic but a cleverly crafted palette of pinks, blues and purples create a cohesive yet fun visual display. Elio slots perfectly into this fantastical world, that feels at times like a theme park, even if he does bolster himself on a lie to the ambassadors that inhabit 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 wonderful duo, perfectly capturing childhood friendship, embodying the energy of unsupervised children as they connect through drinking too many fizzy drinks, eat junk food and get into harmless trouble. A beautiful display friendship and vulnerability. 

As the film progresses, we see a level of venerability 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 placed on communication and finding mutual ground, its a fantastic piece of Pixar messaging that will affect adults more than younger viewers, but as is the Pixar way. The emotional moments throughout the film are offset but high engird sequences that exude fun. Also for adults, is the films subtle way of playing homage to famous Sci-Fi movies, think Spielberg films, Star Wars and Aliens & Predator. These nods are slotted in amongst the traditional Pixar Easter Eggs which are always fun to spot. 

Elio is a wonderful Pixar film, a perfect combination of well crafted visuals and emotional depth. A truly original film, that makes it a refreshing viewing experience. Full of laughs, emotion highs and a touching message centred around belonging which is relatable for audiences of all ages.  Elio is a vibrant, star-shooting adventure. 

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Thank you for reading!