In Elio, Disney-Pixar once again attempts to deliver the magic of its glory years–and once again comes up short. While cute and semi-imaginative, the alien adventure-comedy is bogged down by a lack of an enticing story, its tractor beam sputtering to hold your attention.
At a merciful 95 minutes, Elio is a harmless little romp with a sweet main character (a boy with a big imagination, an obsession with aliens, and massive trauma) and a lot of colorful aliens. That was enough to win over my six-year-old, who despite squirming uncontrollably for much of the runtime gave it two thumbs up (plus a “sideways thumb for having a bunch of aliens that didn’t have eyes or mouths”). As for me, it all felt a little pedestrian, a cute little production that will inevitably play on repeat in my house once it hits Disney+ and nothing else.
Maybe I’ve just outgrown Pixar. Tastes change, and I was 13 when Toy Story blew my mind. But no… in reviewing the list of Pixar movies from the last 30 years, even their most recent batch has produced some quality films (most notably Turning Red).
Elio is just… fine. And that’s okay. At least I keep trying to tell myself that.
The underlying theme is about loneliness and finding your place in the world/universe, and Elio does an okay job explaining what that means. More importantly, the movie is faster paced and less obnoxiously thematic than some of Disney’s other recent animated movies. It’s generally entertaining, with some quirky alien humor sprinkled throughout.
And yet, Elio feels less imaginative, innovative, and creative than the concept allows for, and what you’d expect from Pixar. While alien slug friend Glordon is cute and amusing, most of the rest of the alien characters are underdeveloped and underutilized to the point of fading into the star-speckled darkness of space. The villain, Lord Grigon, voiced by Brad Garrett, is amusing at first but instantly forgettable–and neutered by the end. Pixar hasn’t offered up a good rival since 2017’s Coco or 2018’s Incredibles 2; it’s as if the studio has gone soft. Paired with a lackluster plot that offers almost no twists, turns, or moments of excitement, Elio is fast but far from furious.
Elio is harmless, but unless you have small kids, best to skip this meager blastoff.
Review by Erik Samdahl.