Pixar has had a few creative wobbles over the past few years. Its biggest successes recently have been sequels: Inside Out 2 broke box-office records while their last original film, Elemental, hardly set the world alight. Thank goodness, then, for Elio. Helmed by a trio of co-directors — Domee Shi (Turning Red), Madeline Sharafian and Adrian Molina (Coco) — it’s a vivid, sweet but not saccharine voyage of discovery that proves Pixar is still capable of imagination, even if it still has plenty more sequels in the pipeline.
We actually start with some formulaic narrative beats, with 11-year-old Elio Solis (newcomer Yonas Kibreab) grieving the loss of his parents and now living with his well-meaning but overworked aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) on an Air Force base. Of course, many of the very best children’s stories follow orphans’ search for belonging, but another of Pixar’s blatant attempts to yank on the heartstrings is a little off-putting initially.
The Communiverse is spectacular, a psychedelic, utopian vision of colour and light.
Things pick up when oddball Elio, desperate to be contacted by aliens and escape his lonely life on Earth, eventually manages to transmit a message, signing off with, “Okay, bye, love you!” He’s soon beamed up into the Communiverse, an inter-planetary UN with representatives from all across the galaxy. Trouble is, he’s been mistaken for the leader of Earth, and must negotiate with warlord Grigon (Brad Garrett) to earn the right to stay in the only place where he feels he belongs.
As dry as all this political bargaining might sound, the Communiverse is absolutely spectacular, a psychedelic, utopian vision of colour and light. The alien design is a treat too, with every background character an opportunity for Pixar’s artists to flex their creative muscles (the creature that communicates by plopping out green orbs is a highlight). But a real star is born in Glordon (Remy Edgerly), Grigon’s soft-hearted son, who resembles a much cuddlier and funnier Creeper from Mickey 17, and soon becomes Elio’s best friend. He’s enormously adorable even without the giant eyes typical of animated characters. Their connection feels genuine, with both of them able to share their feelings of isolation and the pressure of parental expectations.
Despite its tight runtime, Elio also manages to take time to marvel at the very real wonder of space exploration. As he gazes into the night sky, Elio listens to snippets of legendary astronomer Carl Sagan, emphasising the fundamental human need to know we’re not alone, whether that’s across the universe or on the planet we live on.
