Do you ever feel alone? “Elio” (2025) refers to a little boy (Yonas Kibreab) who feels as if no one on Earth really wants him so he does everything to get the aliens’ attention and succeeds in contacting the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization filled with members from the leaders of their respective planets. When he almost edges out the bellicose Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), for a membership opening, Lord Grigon decides to declare war on the Communiverse. With the help of Lord Grigon’s son, Glordon (Remy Edgerly), Elio decides to save the day and preserve his shot at joining a welcoming community, but their plan does not go as expected. They will need a whole lot more help than just Elio’s aunt/tio in Spanish, Space Force Major Olga Solis (Zoe Saldaña), who works at the Montez Air Force Base. Is anyone else out there?
It appears from reviewing the trailers that “Elio” changed a lot from its conception to its release. I do not often watch animated movies and went in blank so consider yourself warned that you may not be getting what you were expecting. Initially it appeared that Elio was obsessed with aliens because he confused space with heaven, but the story is purely secular with a Roddenberry-esque humanistic vibe. Elio feels like a burden at home and has no friends so his desire to find a place where he belongs is not unreasonable. Unfortunately, that feeling perpetuates itself when he has an opportunity to find community on Earth but has tunnel vision for his mission, so Elio does not notice the potential new friends for who they are instead of what they have. His insensitivity to others’ needs only adds to his bag of rocks.
Once Elio reaches the Communiverse, the story begins to pick up momentum. Who would not love a place that cheers you on and flatters you? The Communiverse is like going to an exclusive party except everyone is nice and vaguely foppish, not at all built for handling conflict of any kind. It is an interesting take on the “Star Trek” premise as a bit inept because of its smooth, intellectual life with no obstacles. When Elio arrives, the room resembles a James Turrell (my favorite artist) exhibit installation called “Breathing Light.” That exhibit has the effect of feeling immersed in a room filled with light like being in heaven. With all the online buzz of aliens living in the ocean, it should be no surprise that many of the aliens resemble sea creatures except soft, squishy and safe. They are visually distinct, but as individuals, forgettable and barely individuated.
The Communiverse is super cute and not too scary even when Lord Grigon appears. The twist is that he wants to belong too, but he does not handle rejection well and responds with violence. Cue Glordon, who is still young enough not to hide his vulnerable self under a huge hard shell of armor, literally and figuratively, but still initially appears to be all teeth and a little aggressive until the translator disc starts working its magic. The lesson is that people may appear to be evil, but underneath, once you really get to know them, they are not so bad and could be kind.
Of course, along the way, Elio and Glordon develop a friendship and are willing to sacrifice themselves for each other. Their bonding montages felt extended, and at times, I struggled to stay awake during the scenes of pure excitement and adventure for adventure’s sake, but a grown woman is not the target audience and part of the pleasure of animation is seeing yourself in a character having outlandish experiences so that you can live vicariously through them. Unfortunately to have the life that they want, the pair lie to the people around them, and the goal of “Elio” is to not be alone in an honest and sustainable way, so they encounter obstacles that require them to be brave and tell the truth.
Tio Olga and Lord Grigon have parallel stories as adults who appear aggravated with the children in their lives but actually know them well and adore them. It is a nice reassuring theme that if adults got the easy child that they secretly wish for, they would not want the ideal kid. By modeling the behavior of that sentiment, the message for adults attending “Elio” is to teach them to treat the children in their lives with love sooner rather than later. “I may not always understand you, but I love you.” Perfect universal message, especially for this month. Though Tio Olga has a desk job, like Lord Grigon, she is in the military, and both characters must abandon their established characters of by-the-book warriors to become the caretakers that the children in their lives need.
Is “Elio” the first movie to feature the United States Space Force? Naturally Olga’s career becomes key to the resolution. The scenes in the control room are unexpectedly touching and filled with wonder. Olga goes on a journey of skepticism to believer. She is like Mulder from “The X-Files” except without the conspiracy theory paranoia fraying her at the edges. I did not recognize Saldaña’s voice. It is undeniably impressive that she stays working in the biggest franchises even with her knack for often putting her foot in her mouth while doing press after box office successes. Good luck this time around.
Visually when “Elio” looks like a photograph of Earth taken from the International Space Station or a vast tree lined landscape, it is awe inspiring. Then when the realism is contrasted with the rounder, more pastel colored, fantastical images in the same frame, it has the effect of making moviegoers appreciate the overall moments of whimsy like Picasso. Get you an animated film that can do both. When a spaceship hovers over Earth alone in silence, it packs a tremendous emotional punch that underscores how alone Elio feels, but as Aunt Olga joins Elio’s plight, it has a cumulative effect as others join their mission. The movie shows and thus dispels the notion for the audience that anyone is alone. “Unique can sometimes feel alone, but you are not alone.”
“Elio” feels like a focus group wanted to make the next “Lilo and Stitch” (2002) with a dash of Latin seasoning, an homage to planetariums and Carl Sagan, and a lot of sci-fi references from “Frequency” (2000), “Gravity” (2013), “The Matrix” (1999), “Star Trek: Voyager” with a vocal cameo from Kate Mulgrew, “Contact” (1997), especially with the SETI satellites, the “Alien” franchise, the “Star Wars” franchise, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) and every alien abduction film. Most people will not pick up on the references, but the movie buffs will. Because the Easter Eggs are not obvious, the movie does not feel derivative and screams nerd nostalgia, not lack of creativity.
“Elio” is definitely a kids movie, but even adults may find themselves a little teary eyed in some poignant scenes leading to the denouement. The movie shamelessly vies for a sequel. Stay until the end of the credits for a trailer of a future Pixar Disney film. It is a heartwarming, sweet movie that teaches kids that you do not need a scientific breakthrough to find belonging. OK. Bye. I love you.
