Within the first five minutes of Elio, a simple line is spoken, and a shattered look is shown, providing all the necessary background information about Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab). In that look, we see his loneliness, feel his grief, and this is capped off by words from the late Carl Sagan. Elio is Disney/Pixar’s latest movie, and it centers around Elio, who grows an affinity for space after learning there might be aliens out there. He decides to dedicate his days to trying to contact the aliens and leave planet Earth. 

Elio lives with his aunt, Olga Solis (Zoe Saldaña), who works on a military base destroying space debris. Since living with Olga, Elio has hindered some of her chances to advance on the base. Elio feels like a burden and also feels alone since he can not relate to anyone. In a fun montage, we see Elio waiting at the beach for the aliens to pick him up. Using an old Ham radio and wire hangers, Elio tries to communicate with aliens. His entire transmitter radio looks like something Elliot would have built for E.T.. 

Wanting to increase his frequency, Elio starts a Ham radio club where he meets Bryce (Young Dylan) and Caleb (Jake Getman). After an incident between the boys, Elio ends up with an eyepatch, and the boys get in trouble for what happened. While waiting in his aunt’s office, he sneaks into a gathering of the staff where Specialist Gunther Melmac (Brendan Hunt) notifies them that the Voyager spacecraft has made contact with another lifeform. (You also have to love the easter egg to ALF with Gunther’s last name). After Melmac’s idea is shut down, Eli takes it upon himself to reply to the message once the room clears out. 

Up until this point, Eli is pretty slow-paced. The movie shares with the audience multiple times how lonely Eli feels and his desire to find a place where he fits in. His love for space makes him an outcast to those around him who do not have the same love for space. There are shots of Eli staring into space that convey the grief he feels, but also how he feels things would be better somewhere else. Once Elio goes to the Communiverse, the movie starts to pick up. 

In the Communiverse, Elio meets the ambassadors who share with him that the Communiverse is where all like-minded individuals go to share ideas on making the universe a better place. Under false pretences, Elio is deemed the leader of Earth and is shown all of the great things that happen in the Communiverse. As stated earlier, the movie’s pace starts to pick up a little on the Communiverse because we see how Elio feels he has found his place. Seeing all of the wonders of the Communiverse makes him forget about his loneliness for a moment, but Elio knows that he has to prove himself to stay, and he does it by taking the task of peace negotiator. 

The conflict in the movie is twofold: Elio must prevent Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) from destroying the Communiverse, but also see if this is the place that he belongs. When Elio meets Glordon (Remy Edgerly), he realizes that being different is not bad. He also realizes that it takes courage to be who you are and to let others know what you want in life. The quick adventures that Elio and Glordon have are hilarious and heartwarming. I feel everyone would benefit from having a friend like Glordon. 

Final Thoughts: Elio gives us a heartwarming story about a young boy who wants to belong. Throughout the movie, we see his loneliness and can relate to that feeling. While Elio might be aimed towards kids, adults can relate to the theme of wanting to belong and finding their group. Elio will have you laughing one minute and tearing up the next. Even with the slow-paced start, Elio is full of heart and laughs. Make sure you stay after the credits for a sneak peek into Pixar’s next release.

Kid-Friendly: Elio is very kid-friendly. The scenes of bullying are necessary to show how much Elio goes through in his life. There is a scene involving a clone and a piece of hair that might be a little scary for younger kids. 

Violence: As stated earlier, there is a scene with bullying and a kid making threats to Elio. 

For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers—in Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film “Elio,” the universe calls back! The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.