It’s been awhile since I settled in for a Pixar movie. In fact, I’ve fallen behind on them, and have a nice list to catch up on for the blog.

Elio (Yonas Kibreab) has gone to live with his aunt, Olga (Zoe Saldana), after his parents die. Olga works for the space administration, but with the arrival of Elio, her dreams of being an astronaut may be scrubbed.

Elio is missing his parents, and hasn’t been able to settle in and connect with kids his age. When he sees a museum display about the Voyage probe, with a narration by Kate Mulgrew, he begins to wonder about life out there beyond planet Earth.

He stakes out a spot on the beach, and tries his best to contact aliens, hoping to get abducted. At the same time, a signal has been picked up from deep space. And soon enough Elio finds himself in the middle of first contact!

He ends up on a far outpost, and possibly invited into a galactic confederation, but for the arrival of the villainous Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett). Elio claims he can stop Grigon, but ends up captured, and makes a new friend, Glordon (Remy Edgerly), Grigon’s son.

And that new friendship is the key to understanding family, friends, and the choices we make in our lives.

Pixar movies always look amazing, and this one is no different, in fact I’ve wanted another space movie from them as soon as I saw what they did with Wall-e. I was worried some of the alien designs would be goofy and silly, but as cartoon like as they appear to be, there seems to be a reality to each of them.

Glordon is a hoot, and I love not only how fully realized Elio and Glordon are, but Olga as well. Pixar’s characters come across as real people, and viewers can relate to them.

I love the way in which Olga’s dreams come true, and Elio discovers friends and family.

Elio is a fun and delightful film, filled with lots of fun moments. I like the characters and their arcs. I didn’t find it as engaging as Wall-e, and it’s not as strong as earlier Pixar films but it is a joy. And honestly, watching my first Pixar movie, in what feels like forever, was a lot of fun. It reminded me why I love these films so much.

There’s attention to character, details, and narrative. And there’s something for everyone. Pixar really is family entertainment, in a good way. And even their lesser films outshine other ‘family’ fare.

I’ll have to catch up on my Pixars!