Elio parents guide

Elio Parent Guide

With a touching tale and dazzling animation, this film is a stellar choice for families.

Overall A-

Theaters: A young space fanatic finds himself inadvertently beamed up to an interplanetary organization and mistakenly identified as Earth's ambassador to the rest of the universe.

Release date June 20, 2025

Violence B-
Sexual Content A
Profanity A
Substance Use A

Why is Elio rated PG? The MPAA rated Elio PG for some action/peril and thematic elements.

Run Time: 90 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) is alone. Heartbreakingly alone. Since the death of his parents, the grieving child has drifted forlornly through his life, despite the best attempts of his aunt to connect with him. Then a visit to a space museum gives Elio an idea: If he doesn’t belong on earth, maybe he could fit in on another planet. Now Elio has a new goal – being abducted by aliens.

Eventually, Elio has his wish and finds himself in the Communiverse, an alien community he longs to join. But there’s a catch: the peaceful Communiverse is being attacked by the Hylordians, a heavily armed, highly aggressive group of warriors. Elio has persuaded the Communiverse that he is the leader of planet Earth and makes a proposal – if he can negotiate peace with Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), he can become part of their community.

Once Elio is aboard the Hylordian spaceship, he finds himself sweet-talking Lord Grigon, commiserating on the challenges of parenting, getting swaddled by an alien, and befriending an eyeless, wormlike creature named Glordon (Remy Edgerly). Elio may not be an experienced negotiator, but what he learns about friendship and self-sacrifice just might be enough to save the world…if his lies don’t catch up with him first.

For the past several years, Pixar has outperformed the Disney animation studio and Elio is no exception. This film is a delight, thanks to a compelling story, dazzling animation, and richly imaginative visual design. Parents won’t be surprised at the story’s ending (although plot developments will leave you guessing) but kids will be on the edge of their seats throughout the movie’s runtime. In fact, there were frequent gasps and squeals from young viewers at the screening I attended.

Some of those gasps were fearful: parents will want to be aware that this movie can be scary for sensitive youngsters. There are scenes where Elio is bullied (on one occasion by masked kids) and scenes where violent aliens attack peaceful ones. Elio is often in extreme peril and this could upset easily frightened littles. I’d think twice before taking pre-schoolers to this show.

For everyone else, Elio is a wonderful choice. Character development is solid and Elio’s initial grief is so convincing I felt heartsick on his behalf. (And if my cynical critic’s heart can melt, you know the movie has done something right.) It’s rewarding to watch Elio develop confidence in himself and find comfort and validation in his friendships. Even aside from the story, this movie is enormous fun to watch. The colors are vivid, the Communiverse so dazzling that every kid will want to play there, and the imaginative take on aliens is just plain fun. The cherry on the cake for parents is the movie’s positive outlook: the script delivers strong messages about honesty (and the costs of dishonesty), friendship, loyalty, self-sacrifice, the power of family ties, persistence, cooperation, and optimism. As far as family movie options go, Elio is out of this world.

Directed by Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi. Starring Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Brad Garrett. Running time: 90 minutes. Theatrical release June 20, 2025. Updated

Watch the trailer for Elio

Elio
Rating & Content Info

Why is Elio rated PG? Elio is rated PG by the MPAA for some action/peril and thematic elements.

Violence: There is repeated mention of the death of a child’s parents but no detail is given. A boy is repeatedly bullied: hit, pushed, threatened, and chased by masked kids through the woods at night. A child is hit, resulting in injuries to his eye that necessitate the use of an eye patch. A fight between kids takes place, but the violence occurs below the screen. There are multiple scenes of peril, some life-threatening. To avoid being burned to death, a child jumps into the mouth of a fire-proof alien. Aliens threaten other aliens with war and destruction. A child is put in a cell with a skeleton, which collapses onto the floor. There’s mention of an alien fighting in the Blood Wars. An alien shoots bird-like creatures: they’re not killed but drop to the ground. A clone chops off a finger, which he puts back in place. A clone melts, frightening humans. There are scenes of aliens attacking another group of aliens: there are fiery weapons, flames in the periphery, and aliens being manhandled.
Sexual Content: None.
Profanity: None.
Alcohol / Drug Use: None.

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Elio Parents' Guide

What lessons does Elio learn from his experience in space? How do these experiences change him? What brings Elio and Glordon together as friends? What do they do to help each other? Have you ever had a loyal friend? What does loyalty mean to you? If possible, would you like to visit the Communiverse? What would you like to do there? Are any of those things possible on planet Earth?

Loved this movie? Try these books…

Kids who are fascinated by space have plenty of books they can turn to. In The Darkest Dark, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield shares a parable about finding the strength to stop fearing the monsters in the dark and find dreams there instead. Chapter book readers will enjoy Shoo Rayner’s Generation Moon series, which blasts off with Generation Moon, which is followed by The First Kid in Space. For silly space adventures, you can read David Orme and Peter Richardson’s Boffin Boy series, including Boffin Boy and the Invaders from Space and Boffin Boy and the Ice Caves of Pluto.

If it’s non-fiction your youngster is after, try How to Be a Space Explorer. Published by Lonely Planet Kids, it takes a thematic approach to space exploration. For another approach, you can try Exploring Space: From Galileo to the Mars Rover and Beyond. Written by Martin Jenkins, this chatty book provides lots of illustrations courtesy of Stephen Biesty. Lighthearted but packed with information, Really, Really Big Questions about Space and Time by Mark Brake and illustrator Nishant Choksi, promises to give kids plenty to think about.

Home Video

Related home video titles:

Convinced that aliens are trying to contact him, and anxious to discover his origins, Gonzo does all he can to contact his family from outer space in Muppets from Space.

In several films, kids learn more about themselves after adventures in space. Meg learns more about herself and her family (while saving the universe) in A Wrinkle in Time. Accidentally marooned on an uninhabited planet, a young boy befriends aliens while learning survival skills in Terra Willy: Unexplored Planet (also released as Astro Kid). Despite disagreements with his mother, Milo still loves her – and sets off to rescue her when she’s abducted by aliens in Mars Needs Moms.

Some movies focus on the theme of kids finding a sense of belonging. In Ron’s Gone Wrong, Barney is convinced that owning the right technology will help him fit in at middle school – but he winds up learning some surprising lessons. Robot Dreams tells the wordless tale of a lonely dog who builds a robot for friendship. An unexpected friendship between a boy and an alien robot is the story behind the classic animated film The Iron Giant. New to town and lonely, Riley’s emotions are in turmoil, as is demonstrated in Inside Out and again in Inside Out 2, which deals with the challenges of puberty. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is the classic film about friendship between children and an alien. A very unlikely friendship between a Viking who wants to kill dragons and a wounded dragon is the story behind How to Train Your Dragon.