Elio Aims for the Stars but Misses the Heart

Elio

★ ★ ★

Elio (Yonas Kibreab) is a young boy reeling from the death of his parents. He barely speaks and can’t connect with his new guardian, his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña). She tries her best but just can’t crack his shell.

At a museum, Elio stumbles upon an exhibit for Voyager 1. It’s a discovery that changes his world, and he becomes obsessed with the possibility of life on other planets. He’s convinced himself that writing messages in the sand on the nearby beach that say “Aliens, abduct me!” will eventually be seen by passing spacecraft and he’ll be taken away from Earth.

Yonas Kibreab as the voice of Elio
© 2025 Disney/Pixar

His efforts pay off as he’s abducted and taken through a wormhole to the Communiverse, a collective of extra terrestrial ambassadors. Honestly, it isn’t really clear what they do. The vagueness reflects the film’s broader unwillingness to explore its most interesting ideas.

The Communiverse seems more of a social club than anything else. Elio has been mistaken as the “leader of Earth” as the planet is being considered for Communiverse admission. Elio steps into the role without hesitation. The Communiversals don’t seem to be too bright, despite their intergalactic knowledge.

They’re paralyzed when confronted with actual danger. When the other contender for Communiversal induction, a warmonger named Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) tries to strong arm his way in, they have no way to stop him from taking his position by force.

Elio befriends Lord Grigon’s son Glordon (Remy Edgerly) after being thrown in a dungeon. Glordon is there because he refuses to become an instrument of war. Like Elio, Glordon is navigating inherited expectations and trying to forge his own path.

Elio and other Communiverse ambassadors
© 2025 Disney/Pixar

There are loose, much more gentle callbacks to films like Flight of the Navigator and The Last Starfighter, both coming-of-age films in which a human boy or teen, are thrust into a world of alien adventure. Navigator and Starfighter worked, because we felt a deep connection with their main characters. Unlike those films, which earned their awe with emotional grounding, Elio seems intent to keep us at arm’s length.

It’s a heartfelt premise on paper: a boy seeks belonging, only to realize home was with his aunt all along. But it lacks emotional depth. For a studio known for animation that hits us right in the feels, this film misses the mark.

Elio (Yonas Kibreab) faces Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett)
© 2025 Disney/Pixar

In its prime, Pixar would have held Elio to task for his detachment and force him and Olga to deal with his extreme depression. It would eventually lead to an emotional, healing moment that would leave audiences with moistened eyes and stretched heartstrings.

For some reason, Pixar fails to give us a good gut-punch. If Inside Out gave us the enriched personification of inner turmoil, Elio whispers at it. He learns that he really does belong on Earth, but the ‘why’ doesn’t go very deep, and the resolution is far from enriching.

Spoiler warning—though most audiences will see it coming a mile away…

Elio approaches the Communiverse
© 2025 Disney/Pixar

There’s a scene near the end, as Elio realizes his place is on Earth. It comes after the ambassadors give him his Communiverse pin (something that allows him to communicate in other languages and grants him access). He decides he’s not ready and hands it back to go home and let Olga raise him. This is all well and good, but I couldn’t help but think, can’t he do both? Surely the other ambassadors don’t stay there the whole time. Otherwise, would they not lose touch with the people of their galaxies and planets?

Oh, well. Maybe someday Elio will return when his leadership is needed once again. Hopefully Pixar will remember to put the heartfelt magic back into the pulse of the story if another trip to the Communiverse is warranted.

Elio is a visually inventive, gently amusing film, but it doesn’t challenge us—the very thing that once made Pixar films timeless, nostalgic and unforgettable.