Did you see Disney and Pixar’s space adventure Elio when it was in theaters in June? Probably not, considering the film was a box office flop, earning just $21 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. – the weakest performance for a Pixar film ever. But while adaptations, sequels and remakes like Minecraft, Inside Out 2, and Lilo & Stitch seem to be the only things bringing families to theaters, it’s still well worth watching Elio when it comes to Disney Plus on Sept. 17.
Elio is a return to form for Pixar, which established itself by producing family-friendly films that explored tough issues like grief, identity, and environmentalism. The film, directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina, follows an orphaned 11-year-old boy living with his aunt who wants to be abducted by aliens. He gets his wish when he’s mistaken for Earth’s leader and taken to the visually dazzling Communiverse, where Elio meets a wide variety of aliens and tries to help them handle a highly aggressive prospective new member.
In classic Pixar fashion, the colorful animation, jokes, and action sequences are layered on top of a deep emotional core as Elio has to figure out how to let people in. Pixar embraced the safety of sequels in recent years, building on the success of Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Inside Out, and Elio’s lackluster ticket sales are likely to reinforce that behavior. Hopefully, Elio’s search for belonging will finally find acceptance with home audiences who are open to a film willing to take risks.
Elio will stream exclusively on Disney Plus, starting Sept. 17.
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