Introduction
Greetings, fellow adventurers! Blaziker here for yet another animated movie adventure and today, it is going to be an interstellar adventure because today, we are exploring a brand new world in Pixar’s latest movie, Elio!
Elio stars the titular boy who has a fascination about space and aliens, who one day gets abducted (voluntarily) by aliens and being mistaken as Earth’s ambassador. There, in an alien world, Elio goes on an adventure with his interstellar friends and discover who he really wants to be.
While Disney has been on a slump as of late, the good news is that Pixar is consistently putting up very good animated movies as of late, and are single-handedly carrying the Disney brand on its shoulder. With that said, this movie was supposed to be released last year, but due to production issues and a change in director as Turning Red director Domee Shi took charge as one of the three directors behind this movie, there is potential this could be yet another Pixar hit, and the studio’s first original since 2023’s Elemental. Will Elio deliver on this interstellar adventure and be Disney’s first successful sci-fi animated movie in a long while?
Only one way to find out, let’s get onto the spaceship and explore the world of Elio!
Key Information
- Directors: Adrian Milina, Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi
- Animation Studio: Pixar
- Country of Origin: United States
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 19 June 2025 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Story and Characters
It is interesting that the very first review on my Blog was Pixar’s Lightyear, back in 2022. Back then, even though I had some experience in reviewing animated movies, it was the very first animated movie I covered on the blog and I did not have a lot of knowledge over the global animation scene. Now, with Elio, it made me realise who I really am, because compared to Lightyear, I love this eyepatch-wearing kid who’s obsessed with outer space more than Buzz Lightyear!
To get the negatives out of the way, I personally don’t think some of the minor writing moments were resolved in a manner I would have hoped, like there are still a handful of elements that I feel are not complete. That is honestly a nitpick on my side, because I am trying to look into anything that is a weakness, but this is the only thing I could think of.
And now… The positives. I have a lot of things to say!
If there is something Elio taught me, it is that Pixar is not running away for good, because they are embracing their faults and are shaping things anew! I love this cosmic and whimsical, intergalactic adventure that felt reminiscent of the Pixar of the past. I just love how much fun and imagination the writers had with this movie, because this slightly unconventional story is what Pixar does best.
Despite minor technical faults, this movie never stops at being both funny and entertaining, and also very deep as this movie has something deeper beneath the fun and thrilling story about a kid with his new alien friends. In fact, the emotional weight this movie had is way more impressive than the already fun story, and that what makes it stand out compared to Lightyear: Elio is a movie I can emotionally invest in much more than Lightyear.
The writing also has some great and effortless comedy which helps alleviate some of the heavy moments in the movie which I felt was appreciated, and the pacing is just right for me: neither too fast nor too slow, just the right tempo from start to finish.
Alright, let’s get to the best part of the writing: the characters. Oh yeah, we are finally talking about the characters because they are easily the best part of the movie! I got to say, Elio (Yonas Kibreab) and Glordon (Remy Edgerly) both stole the show (and my heart) for this movie. Not only are they so well-developed, they both have an emotional depth that moviegoers can resonate with both of them so easily when they made the appearance (especially the first Glordon scene, but you will have to see this movie to find out). In fact, the writers focus a lot of them because they are the heart of this entire movie.
Additionally, I am not saying that the other characters are not as interesting, because they are with Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana whom I can finally forgive for her involvement in Emilia Perez even though she is the best part of that awful movie) and Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) being great supporting characters, as do the other aliens such as Ooooo (Shirley Henderson) who is a great companion to have. The voice acting is also fun and excellent, and shows how much great voice acting performances can elevate this already fantastic story.
I am honestly so happy with the writing in this movie despite a couple of technical faults and nitpicks, despite the delays in the movie’s production due to the change of directors, but even with that delay, it seems it did not affect the overall writing quality of this movie. I just love how much fun and passion the writers had put to make this cosmic adventure work!
Animation
In terms of the animation, let’s get this out of the way: it is Pixar, what did you expect from the animation quality anyway?
First off, I know some people just do not like the new animation styles Pixar has been putting, complaining about them not sticking to their old ways that they grew up with. However, I disagree: Pixar is embracing a new philosophy where the animators have free rein to craft the animation in their own way, and I love that with each recent animated movie from them, original or otherwise, you get a different style that makes their movies distinct from each other (and yes, this includes Lightyear even though there are people that will complain about this movie to the ends of the earth. This is 2025, please move on from this disclosure), and this applies to Elio.
Honestly, the character designs (especially with the alien designs) are creative and vibrant, showing a stark contrast between the humans and the alien designs that flows well into the inter-terrestrial animation style. I also love how each animation scene transports you from one world to the next with on-point transitions in not just the scenes, but also other animation techniques. There is a clear sense of frame dropping that makes total sense, thus making the animation style more interesting. That also resulted in top-tier animation quality, but really, did you expect anything less from Pixar?
Say what you will about Pixar, but the new Pixar is not just taking on the challenge to showcase different styles of animation head on, but they are also willing to put in the effort to show it’s not style, but substance they are very good at. I’m just elated to see yet another top-notch animation from this legendary studio.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
The score and the minor elements are fantastic even if the marketing was lacking until only about a month till its release, which I will say, is on Disney for pushing this movie even more.
As for my level of enjoyment, it is very easy for me to fall in love with this cosmic adventure, but what it also offered me was the level of comfort and warmth I did not expect. I know that most Pixar animated movies have a sense of emotional connection, but the connection in Elio just hits me at a deeper level than what I would thought. I know it has not been the best years for Pixar so far, but with Elio, I am certain that the Pixar I love is back and this time, they are back with a vengeance to re-claim their throne once again.
Conclusion
Well, Pixar, welcome back home! Honestly, after being sceptical about whether Elio would work, I can finally say: Yes, Pixar is finally home!
While Elio is not perfect by any stretch, compared to their previous sci-fi effort with Lightyear, this was a clear improvement from Pixar! I know no t every part of the writing is on point, but I can forgive these faults because I had a fun cosmic adventure with Elio and Glordon! Seeing their friendship and development reminded me why I love the classic Pixar in the first place: to make me join Pixar on an adventure of a lifetime. It helps that this movie did not try too hard to please, the characters have fantastic development, the animation is easily some of the most vibrant and creative in some time and the score is fantastic.
I honestly cannot believe this, but yeah, it’s clear Pixar is finally back on top, first with Elemental 2 years ago and now this! Yeah, forget about the haters who continuously bring Pixar down, because with Elio, I honestly feel the new Pixar is back and ready to reclaim their crown once again!
Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure. It’s time we look back and recap of the first half of this year so far. Until next time, see you on the next adventure!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
