This film displays colorful animation in sci fi story wrapped in middle school Elio’s lonely, anxious, depressed existence. We loved the creative alien characters, Elio encounters, but found the script itself disjointed, with too many themes, and maybe not completely relatable to all ages of kids. The film was delayed by a year, perhaps there were many changes as Director Adrian Molina co wrote the script with Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi. Maybe there were too many cooks in the kitchen.
Once again, this is a Disney/Pixar film where tragedy has struck and parents are missing. Elio(Voice of Yonas Kibreab) truly misses his parents, particularly gazing at the stars with his father. He is left to grow up with his Aunt Olga (Voice of Zoe Saldana) who is a Major in the Air Force in charge of a unit tracking space debris. Elio is consistently bullied and just doesn’t seem to fit in. He is so unhappy, he gets bored and in trouble in school. He dream is to be abducted by aliens so he can find that place where he belongs.
The first part of the movie is exposition before Elio finds adventure. Once he unknowingly sends a message out into space, in essence his plea to be heard, he receives an answer from the cosmos! Someone out there thinks he is the leader of Earth and wants to bring him to the Communiverse which is like a galactic United Nations. On his journey, we see a fantastical rendering of the night sky with its myriad of unusual celestial bodies. These visual images are impressive. Cinematographers Derek Williams and Jordan Rempel used Pixar’s new Luna lighting and an anamorphic lens to create what they call all-inclusive-imagery.
Landing at the Communiverse is when Elio’s adventure really begins. His encounter with a slug-like creature named Glordon (Remy Edgerly) becomes the main character Elio becomes friends with. The rest of the inhabitants include an array of characters in all colors, sizes and every configuration to show off Pixar imagination. Once he meets Glordon, it turns into a buddy movie.
But there always has to be a villain, and in this film it’s Lord Grigon (Voice of Brad Garrett) who wants to destroy the Communiverse causing all kinds of consternation. After all, Elio just got there! One of our favorite characters is Ambassador Questa, (Voice of Jameela Jamil). She is a lovely pink creature with gently flowing wings and a soft, soothing voice, always there to calm Elio’s anxiety.
Disney and Pixar focuse on kids’ feelings and their mental well-being, and even more important, the desire to belong. Parents will like the subject matter, kids will like Elio and the space creatures. Not sure this is targeted to the right age group. The soft pastel animation is pretty enough, but Elio’s disjointed space dream never completely blasts off.
Disney Pixar 1 Hour 39 Minutes PG
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