ELIO
A lonely boy's search for aliens becomes a lesson in family love.
Should You Watch It?
Yes — with a note for parents of younger kids. Pixar has built something beautiful here: a boy who's lost his parents and doesn't feel he fits anywhere on Earth, finding belonging among the stars, and slowly learning that the family he already has is the home he's been looking for. The animation is vibrant, the soundtrack is fantastic, and the story balances comedy, action, and real emotion without losing its footing.
It also earns its caution. There's real peril throughout — laser weapons, a kidnapping, a fistfight, an alien attack that destroys a facility — nothing graphic, but enough to unsettle a young or sensitive child. And the film's central question, "are we alone?", gets answered with aliens rather than with the far better news that God became flesh to be with us.
For older kids and adults, this is a rich, rewarding watch. For younger children, watch it with them and be ready to talk.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESElio has lost his parents, and he doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere on Earth. So he does something bold: he sends a message into space, begging to be taken away. When aliens actually answer — mistaking him for Earth's supreme leader — Elio is overjoyed. He thinks he's finally found his place. But the alien community he's welcomed into is afraid of one of their own: a fearsome war general named Lord Grigon. Determined not to lose his new home, Elio volunteers to face Grigon himself — and ends up making an unexpected friend in the general's son, Glordon.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars, and they're earned. This is beautifully crafted animation — vibrant colors, imaginative illustrations of galactic life, and a fantastic orchestral score that carries the emotion of the story. The pacing moves easily between comedy, action, and genuinely tender moments, and the film never feels like it's straining to hit all three.
What elevates it further is restraint: the movie trusts its central friendship and its family theme to carry the weight, rather than leaning on spectacle alone. It's engaging enough to hold both kids and adults, and warm enough to leave a lump in your throat by the end.
The Worldview
Elio gets a lot right. It takes loss seriously, and it takes family seriously — the film's real engine isn't the aliens or the action, but a boy learning that the people who love him are worth coming home to. Kindness, sacrifice, and loyal friendship all get real weight here, and the story even carries allegorical images of death, baptism, and resurrection tucked inside its space-adventure shell.
Where it falls short is the question it opens with: are we alone? The film's answer is aliens — a friendly, found community out among the stars. That's a lovely fable, but it's not the deepest truth available. The better news, the news this film gestures toward without quite reaching, is that God himself did not leave us alone. He became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.
That's the ache this movie can't fully answer, and Scripture can: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Elio finds belonging in a found family among the stars; the deeper belonging Scripture offers is with the God who came to find us first.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong moral, redemptive views of kindness, sacrifice, family bonds, and learning to cope with loss, as well as allegorical death, baptism and resurrection, but suggests that aliens, not the Creator Jesus Christ, show we are not alone in the universe
Foul Language
No human obscenities or profanities, but there are multiple instances of rude speech throughout, as well as a scene where Elio asks if a fellow alien knows “bad words” in his made-up language, to which the alien responds, plus there’s two “butt” jokes
Violence
There are many scenes during this movie that involve peril, during the beginning of the movie, a boy accidentally breaks Elios device, in which they proceed to fight, with Elio kicking and biting the other boy, and the other boy seriously hurting one of Elio’s eyes, at a summer camp, some boys pick a fight with Elio, Lord Grigon uses laser weapons to shoot small aliens for sport, and insists on Elio join him, Lord Grigon attacks the alien community, destroying the facility and capturing the other aliens with brute force, when trying to return Glordon back to space, Elio and his aunt have to attack the fellow military personnel by throwing objects at them, when returning to space, Elio’s spaceship gets attacked by debris
Sex
No sex
Nudity
Natural animal, alien nudity
Alcohol Use
No overt alcohol use, but there’s a comical where young title character and his young alien friend drink alien “glorp” and over consume it, throwing it up later, which could be seen as an alcoholic parallel
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
The young title character lies multiple times so that the aliens don’t find out his true identity, but his lie is discovered and rebuked.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Elio feels like he doesn't belong on Earth and goes looking for a new family among the stars. Where do you look when you feel like you don't fit? What does God say about belonging to Him?
Ephesians 1:5 · Psalm 68:6Elio and Glordon become friends even though their families are on opposite sides of a conflict. What does real friendship require of us, even when it's costly?
Proverbs 17:17 · John 15:13The movie asks, "Are we alone in the universe?" and answers with aliens. How does the truth that God became flesh to live among us answer that question better?
John 1:14 · Matthew 28:20Elio lies to protect his place among the aliens, and the lie is eventually found out and corrected. Why does the truth always catch up, and why is that ultimately a mercy?
Proverbs 12:22 · Luke 8:17The Final Word
Elio is Pixar at its best — funny, gorgeous, and genuinely moving about what it means to find your place with the people who love you. It also has enough peril and alien menace to rattle a younger viewer, and it answers a deep spiritual question with a lovely fable instead of the fuller truth. Our answer stands: worth the trip — ages 10 and up. For your littlest ones, save this one for a slightly older sibling's turn, or start with our latest family-friendly picks.
