Publication Date: 07-04-2025

Elio (2025) review

Dir. Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

I believe one element that has contributed to Pixar films of late feeling “good, not great” is the fact that they do not have a solid stable of filmmakers like they once did. Outside of Pete Docter, the mastermind behind Up and Inside Out, the animation powerhouse has been allowing storyboard artists and career animators helm projects to mixed results.

One woman who is proving herself is Domee Shi, the soul behind the delightful-albeit-forgotten Turning Red, which dropped on Disney+ in 2022. She is one of co-directors of Elio, alongside Madeline Sharafian and Adrian Molina, and the similar, coming-of-age brushstrokes that defined that movie are on display yet again in an intergalactic story of a young boy trying desperately to grow comfortably into his skin.

Elio Solís (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) is an imaginative 11-year-old who lives with his Air Force major aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) following the death of his parents. Olga’s dreams of becoming an astronaut were put on hold in order to care for Elio, a fact that weighs heavy on his mind as he struggles to make friends. He’s obsessed with space, and hopes to be abducted by aliens, so much so that he’s taught himself how to use a ham radio. After being sent to boarding school, Elio gets his wish and is whisked away to space by aliens under the assumption that he’s Earth’s ambassador.

Elio finds himself tasked to negotiate peace with Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), the hard-headed ruler of the galaxy. In time, he meets Glordon (Remy Edgerly), a larva-like alien who fears having to assume the same fate of his father. Grigon doesn’t look like his son because, when aliens like him reach a certain age, they must crawl into a large, metal, Transformer-esque body to shield their true selves from the world. In response, Glordon happily becomes Elio’s “bargaining chip,” so he plays along with the idea of being “kidnapped” in exchange for Grigon to step down from power.

Elio is a bit all over the place until Glordon is introduced. The screenplay (written by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, and Mike Jones) is surprisingly lousy when it comes to worldbuilding. We spend desperately little time learning anything valuable about the gaggle of colorful aliens we meet, and consequently, that makes the narrative stakes feel weightless. The film harbors that aggressively cartoony look and feel that contributes to this, with characters, both human and non, looking gummy. Its visual style is frequently pretty, with the cosmos having that pretty, glistening sheen, but the story never transcends beyond something that’s momentarily amusing.

Once Glordon comes into the picture, him and Elio have immediate chemistry. For older Pixar fans, Glordon is the same breed of naively innocent as Butters from South Park. He’s impossible not to love, and his fears of sacrificing his sensitive side to become more like his father scares him the same way being a burden and remaining friendless scares Elio. Both of these individuals need the kind of self-esteem boost that can only come from having a confidant, and the scenes they share harbor a warmness that carries the film in lieu of its narrative shortcomings.

Elio just doesn’t have the dimensionality and substance of most Pixar efforts, including the mixed bag that is its recent output. Turning Red gave us a creative look at puberty and PMS. Luca‘s simple portrait of a boy’s pivotal friendship was textured by Italian colors and landscapes. Even Elemental boasted some of the animation powerhouse’s most vibrant visuals to date. We always want a home-run from the studio, for they’ve delivered dozens in the past, so a double feels like a slight even when it’s ultimately a success.

Voiced by: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly, Brad Garrett, Brandon Moon, and Jameela Jamil. Directed by: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Arian Molina.