Blandly Upbeat but Earnest, the Outer Space Adventures of Elio Are a Lightweight Summer Diversion

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Et tu, Pixar?

Tell me you’re a Disney movie without telling me you’re a Disney movie.

Less than a minute into Pixar’s new summer offering Elio, we learn that the title character’s parents have died. Elio (adorably voiced by Yonas Kibreab) now lives with his Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) who loves her 11-year-old nephew but isn’t exactly sure how to deal with a middle school student with impulse control issues.

Any fan of Disney movies knows the house of the mouse has a real problem with parents (you would be hard pressed to find a princess with both a living mother and father). But Pixar, for the most part, doesn’t seem to mind parents so much. Riley of Inside Out has parents. So does Andy of Toy Story–or at least one parent, anyway. But, alas, Elio is not so lucky, losing both his parents to Disney Doesn’t Like Parents disease before the movie even starts. One might think that the movie’s themes of wanting to belong and finding people who understand you could be explored without killing off the parents. After all, Elio is in middle school, which is ripe with feelings of social isolation and insecurity.

For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, Elio would like to be worlds away from all his problems. To the tune of Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime,” he writes messages in the sand to the aliens he trusts are out there with increasing levels of urgency (“Aliens look here.” “Aliens abduct me”). Olga, who gave up her desire to be an astronaut so she could raise Elio, works at a military base, but despite her co-worker Gunther’s (Brendan Hunt) insistence that he’s receiving extraterrestrial communication, Olga doesn’t believe there is anyone or anything out there. But Elio sneaks into the communication headquarters and sends a message into the ether, signing off with “Okay bye. Love you.” (Anyone who has accidentally ended a phone call by inadvertently telling a co-worker they love them can relate.)

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After a fight with some classmates gets everyone in trouble, Olga decides her only choice is to send Elio to sleepaway camp for a few weeks. There the young boy finally gets his wish and is abducted by his long-sought aliens. “It’s happening! It’s really happening,” he exclaims. He is taken to the Communiverse, where he meets different and very friendly space creatures from all the different galaxies. There’s Ambassador Questa (Jameela Jamil), a pink creature with the ability to read minds. And the very helpful Ooooo (Shirley Henderson), who helps guide Elio through his new world. Delightful and bright, they exist in intergalactic harmony.

These extraterrestrials mistakenly think Elio is Earth’s leader, and he goes along with it (why not?). He even offers to negotiate with the villain Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), who is threatening to take over the Communiverse because the organization has declined to let him in. Hell hath no fury like an alien scorned, apparently.

Elio finally feels like he’s among creatures who understand and respect him. He befriends Glordon (Remy Edgerly), another alien child who believes his father likewise just doesn’t get him. Strong vocal performances help bring the story to life. Garrett’s distinct gravely voice is perfect as the alien who actually isn’t as tough or as scary as he would like to project. Kibreab’s enthusiasm is infectious, and Saldaña is relatable as the anxious caretaker out of her depth.

As a story about children finding a place to belong, discovering their true sense of self and realizing that parents and parental figures love you even when they don’t always understand you, Elio is a lovely, if not particularly original story. And the idea that no matter where you come from, you have much more in common with others than you might think, is a terrific message for the movie’s young target audience—especially in today’s fraught world.

But, when the movie ends with a voiceover from Dr. Carl Sagan, one gets the sense that the intention was for Elio to be so much more than that. No writers are credited in any of the press material made available. A quick search reveals four writers for the screenplay, and even more for the story idea. There were probably too many aliens on this particular spacecraft when the script was coming together, because the larger idea of how massive the universe is and how naïve we may be to think we are the only ones here definitely got lost.

In the end, you may ask yourself, “Is this Pixar’s next big hit?” In truth, most likely not. But as an air conditioned respite for children during the hot summer months, it’s worth traveling to.

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi and Adrian Molina
Writer: Adrian Molina, Mike Jones, Julia Cho and Mark Hammer
Stars: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil and Shirley Henderson
Release date: June 20, 2025

Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer and a member of the Television Critics Association. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter (@AmyTVGal).