Pixar Era Analysis – Elio
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ll be writing analysis content on all (as of October 2026) 31 of Pixar’s animated feature films and their film making eras.
The fourth era is the Personal Era, which is the current Era, and started in 2020 with Onward. As mentioned in a previous blog post, the Personal Era is known for its film releases being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, its films being based on the personal lives of the directors and writers who were making them, and its varied animation.
So how well did Elio measure up to the above features of the Personal Era?
Release being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic:
Elio’s release was not directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, however its commercial and box office failure has been attributed to the post COVID-19 pandemic era of audiences waiting for films to be released to streaming services, rather than going to theatres.
The production and release of Elio was affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
Being based on the personal lives of the directors and writers making the film:
According to the film’s Wikipedia page, Elio was conceived by Co-Director, Adrian Molina, as a story about childhood and social isolation, and was inspired by his growing up on a military base.
Varied animation:
According to the film’s Wikipedia page; the overall goal, animation wise, was to create a version of space unlike any other. The animation of the Communiverse was inspired by VR and macro photography in water tanks, and oil and water being put in a glass bowl resting on top of a sheet of sequins and glitter. Whereas, the animation for the aliens was inspired by microscopic plants and animals.
Pixar used a new lighting toolset for this film called Luna. Luna allowed the crew to define lighting and camera at the same time, and pinpoint the film’s aesthetic early in production.
My overall thoughts:
Overall, I found this film a little hard to engage with, due to its slow pace in the beginning and the vast number of alien characters. However, I connected with it more in the second half, especially when Elio and Glordon bond and find common ground in their loneliness, as well as the emotional scenes involving Grigon saving Glordon’s life, and Elio’s reconciliation with Olga.
On another note, I appreciated the design and animation of the alien world, I found it eccentric and beautiful.
Fun Facts and Trivia (from the film’s IMDb page):
- Elio’s sand drawing that says “Aliens! Abduct me!” is a rough sketch of the Pixar campus, including the amphitheatre.
- Being an alien with no visible eyes, Glordon cries by drooling profusely.
- The credits acknowledge the U.S. Air Force assisted the production staff in their research.
- During the debris field scene with the HAM Radio folks, one of the people helping Olga and Elio is “Giulia from Italia”, the character from Luca.
- Elio is the first Pixar animated feature film to have sapient aliens.
- Elio is Pixar’s third science-fiction animated feature film, after WALL-E and Lightyear.
- Many Star Trek/Sci-Fi alien film alumni appear in the film’s cast.
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