Film Review: Elio
They Asked For Our Leader. They Got...Him.
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Elio. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination, finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.
REVIEW
Lately, Pixar has found itself entangled in an identity crisis. At times, it seems content to coast on familiar ground, churning out sequels that feel more like cash grabs than passion projects. Other times, it pushes the envelope with bold original ideas that aim to remind us why the studio became such a gold standard in the first place.
Coming off the massive critical and box office success of Inside Out 2, Pixar decided to swing the pendulum back toward originality with Elio. This is a film that’s been sitting on the release calendar for what feels like forever, repeatedly delayed and saddled with a marketing campaign that did little to spark much confidence. I went into this one fully expecting it to land somewhere in the lower-tier of Pixar ‘s catalog.
Instead, what I got was the biggest cinematic surprise of the year.
Elio isn’t just a strong entry in Pixar’s catalog, it’s a beautiful, deeply emotional coming-of-age sci-fi tale that tackles themes of loneliness, identity, grief, and the universal longing to belong. And it does all this in just over ninety minutes, never losing its sense of humor or heart in the process. I found myself laughing often, but I also cried more than once.
At its core, Elio is about a boy who’s experienced profound loss. He’s lost both of his parents and lives with the heavy, aching feeling that no one really wants him around. Earth no longer feels like home, and he starts to wonder if the problem isn’t the world around him but something broken inside himself. That loneliness drives his desire to look toward the stars, where he imagines he might finally find a place where he belongs.
His journey brings him into contact with Glordon, an alien wrestling with his own sense of identity and the suffocating expectations of his father. Glordon’s arc parallels Elio’s in several subtle and touching ways, reinforcing the idea that questions of self-worth, grief, and purpose transcend species. It’s a poignant reminder that these struggles are deeply human, even when they’re coming from creatures that don’t look human at all.
The pacing here is brisk, but never rushed. A lot happens, yet it never feels overloaded or chaotic. It works just as well for younger viewers as it does for adults, but where it really shines is in how it addresses real emotional weight. Anyone who’s experienced grief, isolation, or that aching desire to find where they fit in the world is going to see themselves in this story. It’s not just a good animated movie, it’s a movie that understands something raw and honest about the human condition.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Pixar without some levity. The film is funny, genuinely so, with laugh-out-loud moments that land well and help balance the heavier material. But it’s the darker, more introspective parts of Elio that make it feel like one of Pixar’s best efforts in years. There are scenes here that hit like a gut punch: quiet, reflective, and devastating in the most unexpected ways.
Ultimately, Elio is Pixar operating at its full potential, crafting a film that kids will enjoy and learn from, while parents and adult viewers walk away with something deeper to chew on. In an era where young men are increasingly struggling with mental health and disconnection, Elio feels not just timely, but necessary. It shines a compassionate light on those struggles without ever feeling preachy or heavy-handed.
I give Elio a strong initial grade of A-. It’s an emotional, resonant film that’s currently a frontrunner for my favorite animated movie of the year; and honestly, it will finish among my favorite films of the year, animated or not.
GRADING
