MOVIE REVIEW BY JACK WATSON
Elio
Director: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly, Young Dylan, Matthias Schweighöfer, Brandon Moon, Brad Garrett, and Jameela Jamil
Genre: Animated science fiction
Rating: 3 stars
Elio is the latest original feature from Pixar and it’s the perfect family film.
It blends fast-paced storytelling with fun creature designs for the kids whilst mixing it with the mature character drama that adults know Pixar for.
Although original, Elio takes inspiration from other Disney movies like Lilo and Stitch, but puts enough of a spin on the plot to not feel like a retread of the idea.
Instead of space coming to earth, Elio comes to space, and Pixar’s more stylised and cartoony character models shine.
Each alien race feels so distinct that, outside of the main alien character, children will have a hard time picking which ones are their favourite.
Personally, my favourite part of the film is the opening. Before any of the aliens are introduced, the film opens on an extremely human note.
It’s a very hopeless opening that had me hooked. Although the pacing is a little too fast for me, the ending is that classic tearjerker that we all come to expect from Pixar.
Elio is a film for everyone these school holidays. It effortlessly appeals to anyone you’d want to take to the cinema.
- Jack Watson saw Elio at Monterey Howick.
