Eliowill have audiences of all ages looking towards the stars ina wonderful and richly imaginative sci-fi adventure. Its combination of eye-popping CGI animation, superb storytelling, and down-to-Earth heart teaches valuable lessons on several fronts. Pixar’s ability to address serious issues with creative flair continues, as tragedy leads to thoughtful growth for characters willing to learn and experience positive change.
Elioopens with a reminder of humanity’s great leap towards the unknown with the launch of the first Voyager probe. The great Carl Sagan is heard encapsulating our hopes and dreams for first contact with an explanation of Voyager’s Golden Record. The scene then shifts to a sorrowful little boy struggling with his parent’s death. Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) hides under a cafeteria table as hisAunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña), a major in the US Space Force, tries to connect with her grieving nephew. Elio runs into the planetarium and sees the beauty of space for the first time. His sorrow abates as he dreams of distant worlds, and the possible lifeforms that inhabit them.
An Awesome Alien Abduction
Some time later, Elio’s fascination with everything extraterrestrial has become the bane of Olga’s existence. Elio uses ham radios to send messages into space, while waiting to be beamed up on a nearby beach in full astronaut regalia. Olga tries to discourage this behavior, but he misinterprets her guidance as annoyance and a lack of love. This false notion is reinforced when Olga decides to send Elio to summer camp, but not before the mischievous kid uses the computers at her Space Force base to respond to an unknown deep space signal.
Elio wears an eye patch, an intriguing aspect of the film that appeared in the initial trailer. The reason why is explained early in the first act and adds significant depth to his character. No spoilers, but it serves as a physical reminder of his difference from other children and plays an important role as the plot develops. Elio looks and feels like an outcast, and it takes an alien abduction for him to find a sense of community and acceptance. But in classic fashion, everything about Elio is misunderstood from the start.
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Credit is due to the screenwriters (Julia Cho, Mark Hammer and Mike Jones) for their concept of the Communiverse, a space station where “ambassadors” from multiple civilizations work together to promote knowledge and peace. The aliens, who are all distinct and gloriously weird, don’t realize that Elio’s a child and mistake him for Earth’s leader. These scenes are knockdown funny and quite imaginative; each alien species looks bonkers weird, but has similarities to Earth critters like worm larvae and tardigrades.
The second act begins with the introduction of the fierceLord Grigon (Brad Garrett). He’s come to conquer the Communiverse, and faces little threat from its passive citizens. Elio hilariously becomes their chief negotiator, and starts a chain of events with disastrous results. These mirror further calamities back on Earth, as Olga also deals with a unique problem without understanding its origin. These threads eventually come together, with Elio at the crux of many problems. These will require a bit of maturity and selflessness to fix, as Elio comes to terms with the cost of his actions.
Welcome to the Communiverse
Communication between children and parents is a major theme of the film, as Elio and another important character find solace by being able to talk openly without judgment. Kids aren’t robots that can be programmed to act or behave as desired, and they’re enigmas to adults who don’t factor in their needs and desires. This leads to rebellious activity that makes this disconnect even worse. Olga’s frustration with her nephew evaporates when she discovers he’s in trouble, however. She’s there for Elio in his most desperate moment, and together they forge a new foundation of trust against daunting odds.
Elio’svisual effects and production design are fantastic to behold in 3D. The film pops with contrast, and the vibrant colors are like a bag of rainbow Skittles exploding on the screen. The depth of field is especially remarkable in the Communiverse; there’s so much going on in the background, but the bells and whistles aren’t distracting. It all fits seamlessly to fuel the primary arc.
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Pixar has a history of going for tears, and viewers may need to grab a hankie in the finale.Elioleans melodramatic, but thankfully doesn’t reachInside OutorUp’slevel of collective bawling. Instead, the film preaches the virtues of family and friendship, inspiring a new generation of astronauts to continue Carl Sagan’s hopeful vision of exploration.
Eliois a production of Pixar Animation Studios. It will be released theatrically on June 20th from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
