ELIO – Review

They’ve had their time in the sun (the multiplex, actually), so move over live-action adaptations, and make room for a fully animated feature film (so the humans are behind the microphones). After scoring lasr Summer with the box office juggernaut INSIDE OUT 2, the artists of Emoryville, California, are back. But, hold on to your computer monitors, this weekend’s new release is indeed “new”, as in not a sequel (or prequel or “spin-off”. This is the first flick without a number in the title in over two years, when we entered the world of ELEMENTAL, which didn’t have a spectacular opening weekend, but stayed in the B.O. top ten for many weeks. Now this world is a tad familiar, as Pixar returns to space again, after the iconic WALL-E and the misguided LIGHTYEAR (oh well, he’ll always be integral to the TOY STORY series). Really, this is a bit of both, or all, worlds as much of this adventure begins on Earth, birthplace of the story’s focus, ELIO.

When we first meet the title character, a pre-teen lad called Elio (voice of Yonas Kibreab), he’s having a tough time adjusting to life without his recently departed mother and father. But luckily, he’s been taken in by his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana), an Air Force major stationed at a base that tracks space debris. And that’s where sad little Elio really wants to relocate, outer space. Or any other planet than his home world. In the opening scene, he sneaks away from his “tia” to view a special museum exhibit all about the 1977 Voyager space probe. He soon becomes obsessed with tracking it and using the device to contact alien life. And when one of Olga’s equally fervent co-workers, Gunther Melmac (Brendan Hunt) thinks he’s picked up an alien transmission, Elio sneaks to his computer and sends out his own message to “anyone out there”. Which causes a big power outage and nearly gets Olga dismissed (she’s already given up on becoming an astronaut). This, and a recent “dust-up” with two other kids over a “ham” radio, prompts Olga to send her nephew off to a military camp. Another altercation with the same kids is interrupted by a beam of light that freezes his tormentors and sends Elio floating into a spaceship. There , he is greeted by a diverse group of aliens known as the “Communiverse”, who believe that Elio is the leader of Earth, which they’re considering admitting into the group. Ah, but there’s also another candidate. It’s the angry, armored warrior king from the planet Hylurg, Grigon (Brad Garrett). When he’s rejected, Grigon returns to his battle cruiser in order to organize his troops and return to conquer. Since the Communiverse would rather flee than fight, they prepare to send Elio back home. Thinking quickly, he convinces them that he can negotiate with Grigon. So they make an Earth-bound clone of Elio (using a gross source for DNA) and put him into a ship and send him back to the Hylurg star cruiser. When things go sideways, Elio is thrown into the “brig”, escapes, and meets Grigon’s timid young son, Glordon (Remy Edgerly), which leads to an unlikely friendship. Can the two new BFFS broker a truce? And will the clone somehow fool Aunt Olga back on Earth?

Once again, the braintrust at Pixar hasn’t embraced the notion of the current “hot celeb” casting for their vocal talent. Sure, there’s a recent Oscar winner, but this is a fairly unknown, though very talented, ensemble. In the lead role, Kibreab is a true ball of youthful energy threatening to explode as the boy embarking on his dream adventure, and possibly a new life. Sure, Elio has his moments of doubt, but Kibreab conveys his endearing optimism and his ability to “go with the flow”. He’s got great rapport with Saldana (in her first feature follow-up to taking the gold for EMILIA PEREZ), who is a warm, nurturing caregiver, also given to doubt in her choices as a suddenly new parent. And Kibreab has a great comedic “back and forth” with Edgerly as the adorable, sweet Glordon who blossoms with his new friendship even as he balks at his family’s plans. That future is spearheaded (ah, weaponry) by Garrett, who provides the gravelly threats as Glordon’s rage-fueled daddy, invoking memories of Buzz Lightyear’s nemesis, Emperor Zurg. But he’s still funny, especially as he mulls over his own parental concerns and decisions. Hunt is all manic frenzy as the conspiracy-crazed Melmac (perhaps a shout-out to 1980s TV icon “Alf”), a character who seems to have sprinted in from THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES. Plus, there’s terrific support from the vocalists behind the Communiverse, particularly Jameela Jamil and Shirley Henderson (a floating computer aide called OOOO).

This galaxy-spanning adventure apparently required a solid directing team to pilot its course. But it’s not a duo, but rather a trio of filmmakers, Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian, and Domee Shi, who guide Elio’s journey, from the map/screenplay of eight (!) authors. The Pixar artisans have again crafted a visual marvel, full of eye-popping landscapes, imaginative props (love the beverage cups and the living encyclopedia), and delightful designs of the alien races. The Communiverse delegates have distinctive looks (I was drawn to one that resembled a shifting smooth “paperweight” that Don Draper might have used at his desk) and Glordon who looked like one of those magnified “dust mites” crossed with a bald mole rat (a challenge for the animators since he had no eyes and his emotions are all conveyed form the mouth shapes and body language). The film is pushing its 3D version (unlike most other recent flicks), and I’m sorely tempted to check out the “up-convert” for the many scenes of floating and flying past the great backdrops. The human characters are also well done, though they seem to harken back to the “rounded” facial features seen in TURNING RED and especially LUCA, but just as expressive (yes, the “acting” is superb all around). The movie’s look often “makes up” for the screenplay’s wobbly structure. Yes, there are several terrific scenes inspired by sci-fi classics (E.T. is obvious at the camp’s forest, while the clone recalls the many “Body Snatchers” adaptations). Perhaps the script needed a couple more “passes” to flesh out the lead as he’s often too “single focused” and doesn’t evoke enough empathy, although he does reference his “lost” parents. They may have thought that this would add more dramatic weight to his third act “decision” that also builds on the finale of Spielberg’s 77 alien epic. The marketing folks are making many comparisons to COCO, but this doesn’t come close to that film’s emotional wallop (which packs a punch many years later). Still, it’s great to see that the studio isn’t putting all of its energy into sequels (mind you, they’re on the way), and they can still produce worlds that are so immersive and dazzling. So, for a fun, family trip away from the remakes, moviegoers will have a blast blasting off into the cosmos with ELIO.

3 out of 4

ELIO is now playing in theatres everywhere