Elio
review by Bobby Blakey
Disney and Pixar continue to churn out excellent films even if they don’t connect with every audience. Their latest is Elio from directors Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi and Adrian Molina and featuring the voice talents of Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil and Shirley Henderson. Could this intergalactic adventure bring something out of this world, or will it fail to reach the stars?
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Elio follows alien-obsessed Elio who discovers the answer to that question when he is transported to the Communiverse, an interplanetary paradise that is home to intelligent life from galaxies far and wide. But when he’s mistaken as Earth’s leader, he’ll have to form unexpected bonds, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions and make sure he doesn’t lose the opportunity to live out his ultimate dream.
The trailers for this never fully captured my interest, but I am a sucker for anything that brings in some creative aliens and fun new worlds. When I finally got around to sitting down to watch this, I kept my expectations low as I hadn’t heard too many good things. To my surprise, while not the best, I still enjoyed it way more than I expected to, but there are some elements that had they gone in another way could have been way better.
The story is multilayered with a fun intergalactic adventure at the forefront, but about belonging and finding family. This meshes well together and using these crazy new worlds and aliens gives it a fun unique feel that still feels familiar. It borrows from other sci-fi films in some instances that might bring joy to the hardcore fans or annoy those thinking they didn’t do it justice. The voice work is decent enough and the visuals are a vibrant color explosion that is a treat for the senses.
The film does tend to be all over the place at times trying to find its proper footing and direction and using varying silly moments to try and bring it back on track. Most of the time it works fine, but sometimes it becomes a mess. I think Elio himself can been seen as an issue as instead of a character you can sympathize with, he often comes off more of a brat. This wears thin at times but can also be seen as to the way some young people act when dealing with loss and trauma as he has. It wasn’t a total turn off for me, just wish it had been toned down to a more vulnerable character earlier on in the film.
Outside of the minor issues the film is a little more generic than I would have expected from Pixar circling a similar place to Lightyear with both I think getting bad raps they didn’t deserve. The film does what it sets out to do and is visually a beautiful piece of art that alone is worth checking out. Elio isn’t breaking down any new walls in animation or Pixar, but it is worth checking out and just enjoying the space family fun if nothing else.
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In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including astronautic and artistic featurettes plus a gag reel, deleted scenes, and a peek at Pixar’s Easter Egg inclusions. The 4K UHD will be available in a collectible limited edition SteelBook® with astronomically appealing artwork and packaging, displaying the beauty and wonder of Elio’s adventure, along with a couple of his new extraterrestrial friends.
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Grab your copy of Elio available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on September 9th from Disney and Pixar.