It’s summertime, and that often means there are plenty of family-friendly options at the theater. One of the fun flicks hitting the 2025 movie calendar is Elio, the newest animated film from Pixar. Early screenings have given some people a chance to see the movie before its release on June 20, and the first reactions are featuring some pretty strong opinions.
Pixar’s Elio will take moviegoers on a sci-fi space adventure. Our eye patch-sporting main character has an active imagination and is obsessed with aliens, but he gets more than he bargained for after being beamed up and is mistakenly thought to be Earth’s leader. Adventures ensue and, like all the best Pixar movies, this sounds like it has the potential to emotionally wreck audiences. According to Henry Raviolli, we’re in for an emotionally rich story about self-discovery. He writes on social media:
Justin Lawrence of Geekcentric also feels strongly about the coming-of-age tale, describing it as “weird” in the best way. Lawrence posts:
Joaquin Teodoro says this original story feels important, especially with so many sequels and remakes, writing:
According to Jonathan Sim, audience members young and old will fall in love with Elio, Glordon and all of the other characters in the upcoming Pixar flick. Sim says:
Voice actor Remy Edgerly is the voice Glordon, a toothy, wormlike alien who befriends Elio, and the above critic isn’t the only person singling out this character. Carla Renata posts:
Russ Milhelm of The Direct agrees that Glordon is a show-stealer but says audiences will enjoy the entire cast as Elio explores universal themes in this out-of-this-world adventure. Milhelm continues:
Michael J. Lee and others who caught an early screening of the movie are marveling at the animation as well as the emotional storytelling and, of course, some laughs along the way. This critic says:
Anthony Gagliardi of The Movie Podcast says audiences are in for a treat with this new film by Domee Shi, the writer/director of 2022’s Turning Red. In Gagliardi’s words:
It sounds like Elio hits all the beats we’ve come to expect from Pixar — great vocal performances, stunning animation and an emotional story that will connect with audience members of all ages. We’ll get even more details in the coming days as critics are allowed to expand on their first reactions ahead of Elio’s release to theaters on Friday, June 20.