A scene from 'Elio' (Disney/Pixar)
We’ve all heard the news or seen the studies and reports that the current generation is the loneliest in history. Hyperbole, perhaps, but it is hard to deny that it is getting harder and harder to form a connection.
More and more children feel alone. Gadgets and screens don’t help in socialization. Yes, they may have an online village to make them feel part of a group, but it doesn’t change the fact that these children, in their urban isolation, yearn for something more.
In Disney and Pixar’s 'Elio,' 11-year-old Elio and his Aunt Olga struggle to connect; sometimes, his passion for all things space can make him hard to reach. Olga, a brilliant major in the Air Force, is delighted when her nephew suddenly perks up—she can’t quite figure out what’s behind the change.
That’s where Elio comes in. Here is a boy who, not feeling welcome or at ease with his current setup, turns to the night sky. He imagines and yearns for someone to take him away from his troubles on earth. Sounds familiar? Almost all successful children’s stories start like this. Wanting to be a part of something new. To be accepted. To be loved.
Here’s the thing. It happens. When a misunderstanding places poor, lonely Elio as
Earth’s representative to a federation of colorful, fantastical alien lifeforms, they come and pick him up. He gets taken. Out of his home, and out of his world. Literally. It isn’t all fun and games, however, as soon as a dark menace comes in to spoil the fun. Be aware that while Elio is a Pixar movie, there may be some visuals that may be a tad scary for some of the younger kiddies, and even the staging of some scenes can be straight-up spooky.
When Elio (voice of Yonas Kibreab), a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession, is beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, he must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, including Glordon (voice of Remy Edgerly), a tender-hearted princeling.
But while the visuals may be, in turn, colorful and dark, as well as uplifting and then creepy, the story is always where Pixar works its usual magic.
To kids, the movie hits that yearning to be accepted for who they are. Whether they are different or special, they all want to be accepted. For adults, it highlights the diverse definitions of family and helps them understand what loneliness means to others. It tickled our empathy, and we could all relate in some form or another to what it’s like to be Elio, to be a parent, or to be the responsible adult who is always out of time and busy. This movie reminds us to stop, pause, and pay attention. Elio is in theaters now.