Alright, Cine-Surfers, buckle up. Just when you thought Pixar had explored every corner of human emotion and inanimate object consciousness, they decided, “Let’s go to space!” Enter Elio, a film that promises a cosmic misadventure from the legendary studio that brought you Inside Out 2 (which, let’s be real, was as Oscar-Worthy as the first!). The trailer dropped, and our cynical hearts did a little dance between “Ooh, pretty animation!” and “Uh oh, Hollywood Demon plot alert!”
The premise: Elio, a space fanatic, gets accidentally beamed up to the “Communiverse” and, in a moment of pure, unadulterated chaos, is mistaken for Earth’s leader. Yes, you read that right. A kid. Leader of Earth. Now, is this another Pixar delight, or just another sad attempt to go to space and prove Elon Musk isn’t the only one with wild intergalactic ambitions? (Yea we are looking at you Elon!) Let’s dissect this trailer with our razor-sharp wit and enough skepticism to fuel a rocket! 🚀🙄
The Plot: From Skipping School to Saving the Planet? (UGH!)
The trailer starts off with someone asking Elio if he’s skipping school. A relatable premise, maybe for high schoolers, but middle school? How does one even skip school in middle school without the entire institution collapsing into chaos? Clearly, Elio has overwhelmed parents (go figure in this day and age, kids testing boundaries is like their mantra now!). After a brief, Oscar-Worthy pause for the iconic Pixar lamp intro (duh!), we’re plunged into a real alien abduction. A cute little jelly alien appears, and our interest is genuinely piqued. PURE CINEMATIC GOLD! in the making, right?
Then, the plot twist of the century that sent our snark-o-meter into the red: the aliens are proposing Elio will be the leader of Earth! Huuuhhh is right, Elio! The look on his face in the trailer (which we’ve snarkily captured in an image in this breakdown!) perfectly mirrors our own unfiltered opinion. This isn’t just fiction; this is wish fulfillment for every kid who ever wanted to boss around a planet. And then, the life adage of “Fake it until you make it!” becomes the guiding principle for a kids’ movie. Interesting. Very interesting.
Alien Invasion: A Cinematic Dumpster Fire We’ve Seen Before?
So, here we are again. Aliens are going to destroy Earth (Oh boy have we seen this cinematic dumpster plot before 🙁). Seriously, Hollywood, did we not learn anything from Independence Day? Or every single alien invasion movie ever made? This is where our uber skepticism kicks into MAXIMUM SNARK overdrive. The trailer sets up the inevitable intergalactic crisis, forcing Elio to form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be. Sounds… familiar.
What truly baffled our cynical hearts was the reaction of Elio’s seemingly adult family member/guardian. He confesses that an evil alien is going to destroy Earth if he doesn’t help his friends, and instead of, you know, reacting with dread or fear, or even disbelief… she genuinely asks if Elio made a friend?! What?! That’s a level of plot hole we can only describe as Hollywood Demon-level chaos. It’s either incredibly naive or a sign that the entire movie operates on a different plane of logic.
The Cinesist Verdict (Trailer Edition): Proceed with Caution (and Snacks)!
Elio features the voices of talent like Yonas Kibreab as Elio, Zoe Saldaña as Aunt Olga, Remy Edgerly as Glordon, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa, and Shirley Henderson as OOOOO. Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina, with Mary Alice Drumm producing, it’s certainly got the Pixar pedigree.
Our expectation:
Elio is in theaters today, June 20, 2025. We would definitely watch this with our kids, but we will have a very sharp eye on the Alien invasion plot holes 👽 and the incredibly convenient mistaken identity that thrusts a child into the role of planetary savior. It looks visually stunning, as expected from Pixar, but the plot elements in this trailer scream “predictable formula with a side of questionable logic.” Here’s hoping the full movie pulls off an Oscar-Worthy magic trick and makes us eat our snark. But our skepticism remains firmly rooted. 💥
Call to Action: Your Verdict on Elio!
IS ELIO A PIXAR TRIUMPH OR A COSMIC CONUNDRUM? BEAM UP YOUR UNFILTERED OPINION! 🚀💬
