Dazed and amused, ‘Elio’ is Pixar on a spaced-out psychedelic trip
The animated film “Elio,” produced by Pixar, marks a return to creating heartwarming stories for children, following their success with “Coco.” Directed by Adrian Molina and completed under the guidance of Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, this movie features an 11-year-old boy named Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) who gazes up at the sky and wonders who might be there. This intriguing premise echoes classic tales like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “A Trip to the Moon,” and it’s a story that has been told since the dawn of mankind. The mysterious beings observing us could represent various figures, from Greek gods like Zeus to science-fiction entities such as “Dr. Who’s” Zygons. Their intentions towards us can be unpredictable, ranging from benevolent to malicious. Throughout history, we have produced countless stories speculating about the value of our species. Essentially, this movie asks: Is humanity significant?
In Elio’s situation, he is a fresh widow residing with his aunt Olga (the warm and bustling Zoe Saldaña), who serves in the Space Force, tracking satellite debris (an activity that the film makes intriguing despite its seemingly mundane nature). The characters in the movie are immersed in technology – radios, computers, screens – yet they all appear disconnected. Olga believes that communication with extraterrestrials is nonsense, considering her colleague Melmac (Brendan Hunt), named after Alf’s home planet, as a crackpot. She has postponed her astronaut aspirations to look after her melancholic nephew. In exchange, the boy shows little interest in her or any other human.
As a young teenager, Elio seems to be heading towards a lonely path, which might lead him to marry an inanimate object like a pillow if nothing changes. However, when Olga takes Elio to a space museum, he develops a romantic fascination for the solitary journey of the Voyager probe, whose golden record filled with wonders, compiled by astronomer Carl Sagan, is traveling through the cosmos in search of intelligent life. (Though Sagan isn’t credited in the movie, you can hear his voice throughout.) Fascinated, Elio puts a colander on his head and asks aliens to land and take him with them, but not out of desperation.
Before Elio gets teleported to the Communiverse, a cosmic version of the United Nations, he’s not excessively melancholic. He’s not the only being in the universe, but now he must prove his worth. From then on, his journey moves as swiftly as a Flash Gordon adventure or, for instance, the first “Toy Story.” Most kids Elio’s age have either watched Pixar rehash its stories with sequels or aim for Oscars in therapeutic settings (where lately, they’ve been producing dust balls). Here, trauma serves as a backdrop rather than the main event. The sophisticated animation studio is trying to tell the “Minecraft” generation that they can still create entertaining and innovative films.
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The ground-level scenes of the movie offer breathtaking views of the ocean under a starry night, while the cosmic scenes are a vibrant kaleidoscope: a psychedelic blend of colors that suggests several animators have enjoyed Phish concerts in a Berkeley dorm. It’s likely that high school students watching the film on its opening weekend will revisit it in college under special circumstances. The alien designs seem inspired by lava lamps, earbuds, stress balls, and card decks – as if they were created when someone was lost in thought wondering, “What if my lamp could come to life?” I’m not implying anything about the animators’ state of mind, just pointing out that Pixar was born from the question, “What if…
Elio will become friends with an eccentric, twelve-limbed creature named Glordon (Remy Edgerly), who hails from the Crab Nebula. Off-world, the young boy is instantly charmed and lowers his protective barriers. This occurs during a thrilling sequence, set to music similar to Krautrock, where Elio and Glordon share an adventure that feels like a sneak peek into a future amusement park. The friends splash around in water slides and drink a beverage called Glorp, designed for easy replication using boba. As always, the events are grounded by our earthly imagination. Even the names Glordon and Glorp could be a reference to the Voyager’s planned future encounter with a star named Gliese 445, which is expected to happen in about 40,000 years.
In the universe depicted in the script (by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer and Mike Jones), Elio develops a better attitude towards Olga after interacting with various extraterrestrial beings. Surprisingly, these encounters don’t lead him to the conclusion that everywhere else is worse than Earth. Instead, space turns out to be quite amiable, if not overly kind at times. The majority of aliens Elio meets advocate for understanding and acceptance, which initially leads you to suspect they might be insincere. However, this isn’t the case; their claims of tolerance and open-mindedness prove genuine. The characters voiced by Jameela Jamil, Shirley Henderson, Atsuko Okatsuka, and Matthias Schweighöfer can sometimes show impatience, but overall, they are diplomatic. The peace is threatened when a bully named Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), who ambles around on heavy metal legs, arrives at their base looking for a fight.
In this animated series, the excitement levels are carefully balanced for a slight fright in young viewers. Elio is more lively than overly sweet and often sports a bandage covering a black eye throughout the movie. Back at home, he’s chased through the forest by masked bullies (and when the chance arises, he kicks one of them square in the head). In space, Elio discovers charming skeletons and wiggles his way through goofy tubes. Meanwhile, Lord Grigon indulges in an unsavory pastime: shooting delicate, flower-like creatures with airguns. When struck, these living daisies don’t expire; instead, they’re left blushing from the loss of their petals.
It’s delightful to witness such a lively adventure unfold. “Elio” isn’t aiming to revolutionize space travel – it’s seeking the playful allure of peeking out the window at passing wonders. Some of the funniest moments seemed to flash by, like a supercomputer with vast knowledge who is slightly annoyed that Elio uses its wisdom mainly for combat lessons. It’s trying to educate us about life’s meaning; we’re more interested in learning war strategies.
In the context of Carl Sagan’s 1973 book ‘The Cosmic Connection’, one might question why an advanced civilization would invest time and resources to share information with a developing society like ours. However, despite our relative backwardness compared to the cosmos, more than half of Americans believe in extraterrestrial existence, and a third think they’ve already visited. Our desire for confirmation that we are not alone in the universe, much like Elio, is strong.
The renowned scientist likely wouldn’t have included “Elio” on his golden record as it’s insignificant, not a symbol of cultural importance. However, Pixar has transformed ants, rats, cars, dolls, and emotions into anthropomorphic characters, yet this solitary boy seems strikingly real. Yes, the movie implies, search for connection among stars or beneath your feet. But remember to find it in one another as well.
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2025-06-18 21:31