A colorful space adventure as energetic as it is fleeting
Why, oh why, does Pixar/Disney feel the need to kill off parents? Don’t worry, this fact is spoiled within the first few lines of the new Pixar film, Elio, a quick and colorful space adventure with an underlying message about self-worth. Killing off one or both of a protagonist’s parents is a common plot device in Disney films, dating back to Bambi, and including Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Frozen, Dumbo, Onward, Lilo & Stitch, and the list goes shockingly on and on. Some stories benefit from the emotional gravity of a deceased (or otherwise missing) parent(s), but in the case of Elio, plot points feel like forced emotional manipulation. Let’s ignore the parent debacle for now, because Elio remains a sci-fi adventure filled with fun alien characters and creative visual worlds, even when the story feels underbaked.
Elio (Yonas Kibreab, Sweet Tooth) is a young boy who begins living on a U.S. Air Force military base with his aunt, Olga (Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez), after his parents passed away. Obsessed with space exploration, and specifically extraterrestrial life that can whisk him away from a life where he feels unwanted, Elio sneaks a plea transmission to a mysterious orbital noise. Shortly after, he is abducted by a UFO and swept across the galaxy (or further?) to the Communiverse, a United Nations-esque organization of alien leaders from all over the universe, where he is believed to be Earth’s leader. When the Communiverse is threatened by a warmongering leader, Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett, Everybody Loves Raymond), Elio volunteers to broker peace in exchange for membership to the Communiverse, and a life living among them, away from Earth where he feels unwelcome… and unloved.
The Communiverse is beautifully rendered, with vibrant colors and a variety of creature designs. Elio is clearly tailored to kids, since even the menacing aliens have rounded edges and goofy mannerisms. With kids in mind, Elio also avoids providing us ample time to learn how the Communiverse works, or even how the military base back on Earth operates. Plot sequences and character actions progress at a frenetic pace; there’s always a nearby button (on a ship or in a control room), or an alien ability suddenly discovered that enables one scene to transition to the next. These narrative cheats won’t be noticed by young audiences caught up in the spectacle on screen, but the writing clearly took a backseat to visuals and a sustained high energy level. To be fair, there’s nothing wrong with that! The talented cast and filmmaking crew, helmed by co-directors Adrian Molina (Coco), Domee Shi (Turning Red), and Madeline Sharafian (story lead/artist on Coco and Turning Red) have delivered a really fun space adventure for kids. Just because Elio has three directors and another three writers, a telltale sign of a messy script, doesn’t mean the sum of their input won’t be worthwhile. Just ask all the kids who are about to get super interested in space.
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Elio opens in theaters on Friday, June 20th.
