What does “lesser” Pixar even mean? I had been hearing for months now that Elio was not tracking be like a Toy Story or Wall-E level movie. It’s more in line with Luca, or Turning Red, or Soul. Rude! Um, I’d ask anyone trying to slight this latest gem, to watch those “lesser” films you’re mentioning, and see if they don’t hit right to your heart and make it melt as well as the best Pixar has to offer. Maybe you should start soul searching in space too.
That’s where poor Elio’s (Yonas Kibreab) head is, stuck living with his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana) after his parents got Disney’ed. His wishes to escape his lonely life come true when the Communiverse comes for “Earth’s Leader” which they mistake Elio for. Before the boy gets found out, Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), salty about being denied entry to the Communiverse, threatens all the aliens like Questa (Jameela Jamil) and OOOOO (Shirley Henderson). Elio volunteers to negotiate with the angry alien, possibly using Grigon’s son Glordon (Remy Edgerly) as a “bargaining chip” which Glordon has never been before!
Elio isn’t short on razzle dazzle. The minute the Communiverse comes for Elio, we’re on one of those luscious CGI imagination rides only Pixar can conjure. It’s a Spirited Away fest of random creatures and globule supercomputers, with a clone or two thrown in. Colors abound. Fancy toilets and spaceships abide. It’s heaven for kids…and future Disney theme parks if Elio catches on. There’s even time for a fun action sequence or two, including an amusing riff on a zombie movie and the eventual evasion video game the movie will make.
But Domee Shi is one of the directors here, the secret sauce of some of this “lesser” Pixar stuff. The minute Elio meets Glordon is when the emotional beats of the movie start snapping into place. This is a film for the parents who don’t understand their kids, but never give up on trying to understand them, even the ones who put on hard exoskeletons so they don’t have to reveal their squishy interiors. The movie’s also for the lonely kids, who never quite feel like they belong where they do (with even a subtle little LGBT coming out undercurrent in there too). Shi’s magic finds a couple of these wonderfully special moments that just sneak up on you (one on a beach, one a part of the final act) and overwhelm your senses…you just can’t help it.
I also appreciate Domee Shi’s reference points. I grew up the same time as her; I also had Voyager intrigue, affinity for Star Labs, and drifted between friend groups growing up. Thankfully, while I resorted to the more isolating judgmental writing techniques, she took those feelings and made them understandable for other kids and parents like her. So Pixar, start elevating this queen, and giving her that Turning Red sequel she should have, with updated boy bands please!