Elio review: Pixar's latest will charm children more than it will entertain adults

The story begins with 11-year-old Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) hunched under the table in the mess hall. Withdrawn and alone, he feels unable to communicate with his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) after the loss of his parents.

Concerned, the kindly Olga is considering having him sent to boarding school, not least because her work on the Montez Air Force base means she has little time to bond with him.

All Elio cares about is outer space. Fanatical about life beyond the stars, he lies on a beach with a huge sign scrawled in the sand: "Aliens Abduct Me" (just as Talking Heads’ banger Once in a Lifetime plays on the soundtrack).

Then, as if by magic, he gets his wish. About to be thumped by some annoying bullies, time is frozen and Elio is sucked into space.

Rather than being taken by some aggressive aliens, Elio is introduced to the Communiverse – the greatest minds of the known galaxy – who are looking to expand their knowledge base.

Thanks to Elio’s messages, they’re under the belief that he’s the leader of Earth. But before he gets to join them, he’s asked to negotiate with Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), a warmongering, armour-clad beast who wants to be admitted to this intergalactic brains trust.

Back on Earth, Olga is fooled into thinking that a clone of Elio is the real thing, while her real nephew falls into a friendship with Grigon’s son Glordon (Remy Edgerly).

This talkative, purple-coloured alien with no discernible eyes and four mini arms is an adept creature; at one point Elio hides inside his mouth to avoid being burnt to a crisp by some flowing lava.

But truly, Glordon is a big softy, and can’t face the idea of joining his father’s brutal regime. "Sometimes it feels like Dad doesn’t even want me," he moans.

Their friendship will immediately make you think of Elliott and the squat creature that visits him in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic ET the Extra-Terrestrial (co-director Adrian Molina named Elio, apparently, in honour of Elliott).

And, for sure, Glordon is a worthy addition to the pantheon of Pixar characters, especially when he starts talking about being a "bargaining chip" in Elio’s ongoing negotiations with his father.

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How Elio will play with audiences remains to be seen. Last year, following some pandemic-blighted releases, Pixar reclaimed its golden touch with Inside Out 2 – the sequel to the 2015 original – which grossed $1.698 billion, the biggest hit of the company’s career.

But it’s hard to see Elio doing anywhere near the same numbers; it simply doesn’t have the same level of genius that the Inside Out films boasted. Nor, in truth, does it have the heart.

With Domee Shi (Turning Red) and Madeline Sharafian (making her feature debut here) taking over from original director Molina, the film isn’t exactly disjointed.

Yet there is a lack of complexity to the characters or any real final act oomph.

The aliens are amiable enough – especially ambassador Questa (Jameela Jamil) and the cloud-like "liquid supercomputer" that Shirley Henderson voices.

But despite some beautiful renderings of the milky way, vividly bringing us the wonder of space, Elio simply doesn’t have the energy to keep older audiences engaged.

Elio is released in UK cinemas on Friday 20th June 2025.

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