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‘Elio’ Review: A Lonely Boy Makes Friends With an Alien in Emotionally Grounded Outer-Space Cartoon
'Elio,' the latest from the studio behind 'Toy Story,' reminds that sub-par Pixar is still smarter and more satisfying than most of what's out there.
Directed by Madeline Sharafian(the Pixar short “Burrow”), Domee Shi(“Turning Red”) and Adrian Molina(“Coco”), “Elio” lands amid a renewed interest in all things astronomy, from billionaires competing to build the better rocket to the declassification of government files on UFOs. Elio’s personality is defined mostly by pity in the first act, as the poor kid’s insecurities turn potential new friends — Bryce (Dylan Gilmer) and Caleb (Jake Getman), who express an interest in joining his ham radio club — into bullies. Elio is so convinced of his own unlovability, he insists, “There’s 500 million habitable planets out there, and one of ’em’s gotta want me.” The boy’s desire to be abducted is a novel way of retreading a familiar Pixar trope: When cartoon kids feel misunderstood, they strike off on their own (see “Coco,” “Luca,” “Inside Out” and “Finding Nemo”).
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