Are we alone in the universe?
In 1977, scientists at NASA set out to answer this question by launching the twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. Each vessel carried a so-called “Golden Record,” a disc containing images and recordings of natural sounds, such as thunder and birds. It also recorded spoken greetings in 55 languages and instructions for finding Earth in the cosmos.
But no aliens came knocking on Earth’s door.
Until now …
When a middle schooler named Elio overhears airmen discussing a potential alien response to Voyager’s message, he’s overwhelmed with excitement. His aunt, Olga, tells them it’s nothing. She says they should ignore the strange static and focus on their mission: helping human-piloted spacecraft navigate debris fields surrounding our planet.
But Elio can’t ignore the possibility of aliens. Ever since his parents died, Elio has had trouble making friends. He feels misunderstood by the people around him. And he can’t seem to bond with Olga, either, even though she gave up her dream of becoming an astronaut to take care of him.
Elio very much feels alone. But if aliens are real—if somebody is out there that might understand him!—then maybe he wouldn’t feel so lonely. Maybe he could make some friends. And maybe, just maybe, he would finally feel like he belongs.
Now, if he can just find a way to get a message back to the aliens letting them know where to abduct him …
Most of the messages in Elio are pretty positive. The film’s main theme focuses on feelings of loneliness and the overwhelming urge we all feel to find somewhere where we belong. And the story that unfolds delivers these messages through the journey taken by Elio and a young alien named Glordon.
Elio’s yearning for an alien friend is, of course, answered. Like Elio, Glordon also feels lonely and misunderstood—so much so that he willingly agrees to be Elio’s bargaining chip when alien negotiations with his dad, Lord Grigon, go south. Both boys are essentially being raised by single parents. (We learn that Glordon’s mom is often gone, fighting in wars common to their species.) And neither boy feels like the adult caring for him actually wants him around.
The two bond over these shared experiences. However, they also give each other perspective. When Glordon hears that Olga gave up her dream career to take care of her nephew, he responds, “Wow, she must really love you.” And later on, Elio helps Glordon see that his dad is willing to do practically anything to keep his son safe. That includes conquering the alien Communiverse (a collective dedicated to the technological advancement and peaceful coexistence of multiple alien species), or simply swallowing his pride and being vulnerable with his son.
Olga and Grigon, for their part, are doing their best to raise the boys in their care. Both adults initially struggle to understand Elio and Glordon. They make some mistakes along the way. They say the wrong things. However, they also never stop trying. Truth be told, they each feel pretty lonely and insecure themselves. Olga is grieving the loss of Elio’s parents just as much as he is. And Grigon feels inadequate as a father. But eventually, they each realize that the most important thing they can do as parents is to make sure their kids know how much they love them.
And when Elio and Glordon realize how much they’re loved, it makes them feel a lot less lonely—and a lot less misunderstood. As one member of the Communiverse tells them, being unique can sometimes make you feel like you’re alone, but that doesn’t mean you are.
Additionally, we learn a bit about self-sacrifice. Elio risks his life to save Glordon—as well as everyone living in the Communiverse—even though there’s no benefit to himself. Olga and Grigon also demonstrate the value of putting others before yourself. And many people on Earth come to Elio’s aid during a dire situation.
Eventually, Elio is indeed abducted by aliens. So we see a variety of alien species. They’re highly intelligent beings that have combined all of the knowledge of the cosmos to create a peaceful community (the Communiverse) of enlightenment. We even hear they know the “meaning of life.”
Though the film doesn’t deal with the idea of evolution explicitly, it’s lurking in the background here as a presupposition: Life has evolved one way on Earth, and in different ways throughout the diverse sci-fi universe we see here.
Aliens come in a variety of forms and colors. And some even have special powers. Glordon and his race are lava-proof, for instance. And another alien can read minds.
Cloning technology plays a significant role in Elio’s plot. But it doesn’t seem that these clones are meant to be truly sentient beings. Rather, they behave more like organic computers, programmed to act like the person they’ve cloned, emulating emotions but incapable of actually feeling them (or pain, for that matter).
Elio gets X-rayed by some alien tech, which briefly reveals his underpants. Elsewhere, after an alien takes a DNA sample from his nose, Elio delightedly exclaims, “My first probe!”
Grigon is a battle lord. His species lives for war. In fact, he’s only visiting the Communiverse because he hopes to combine its knowledge of technology with his knowledge of weapons, so that he can continue to conquer new worlds (which is what Glordon’s mother is busy doing). And when the Communiverse denies his request, he resolves to take it by force.
Glordon is none too enthused about this prospect, which is why he agrees to help Elio stop Grigon. It should be noted that the boys try multiple nonviolent methods of de-escalating the situation. And while their early attempts to do so are unsuccessful, they eventually convince Grigon to make peace, ultimately saving everyone in the Communiverse.
Glordon and Grigon (and the rest of their species) resemble larval worms with multiple rows of teeth. Glordon initially frightens Elio (and there are a few other jump scares, too) after wrapping the human boy in a web-like material. Elio fears he’ll be eaten, but it turns out Glordon is just swaddling him to calm him down.
The adults of Glordon’s species wear exoskeleton-like battlesuits equipped with lasers, cannons and even, Glordon delightfully exclaims, cup holders. We see them use some of these weapons. No creatures (or people) are harmed, but many are frightened. And one unlucky species is used for target practice. (They’re not harmed, they just lose their feathers).
Alien skulls are used as décor on Grigon’s ship, perhaps a sly nod to the Predator franchise. Elio is imprisoned in a cell containing the skeleton of a deceased prisoner.
Elio gets into a few fistfights with kids his age. (One fight results in Elio wearing an eye patch for the rest of the film.) At one point, two kids hold him down while a third punches him.
Elsewhere, a spaceship is nearly crushed by faster-than-bullets space debris. Elio’s clone is involved in a super creepy jump-scare sequence. The clone also accidentally cuts off its finger (there’s no blood), but it quickly reattaches the appendage.
We hear a few uses of, “Oh my gosh!” and “heck.” Someone says, “Shut up.” Someone is called a “butt” as an insult. And there’s one incomplete “What the … ?”
Elio speaks a made-up language called “Elio-ese.” After an alien learns the language, Elio asks if the alien learned any “bad words,” and he then unleashes a stream of nonsensical gibberish. English subtitles translate those expletives as symbols, such as “@#$%.”
Elio and Glordon consume an alien beverage. It’s unclear what the drink is, but both boys vomit after imbibing too much of it. Elsewhere, Olga has wine with dinner.
Elio has a bad habit of lying and breaking rules—behaviors that apparently stem from losing his parents. But even when Elio is abducted, which would be a chance to turn over a new leaf, he lies to the aliens, telling them he’s the leader of Earth out of fear that they’ll send him back otherwise.
Elio skips school and stays out late, after dark, while trying to get abducted by the aliens. He hijacks some military equipment to send a message to the aliens, shorting out the electricity supply for the whole base. And later, he and Olga both break some laws to rescue Glordon from human captors.
In response to Elio’s bad behavior, Olga sends him to a military camp. She doesn’t do this as a punishment, noting that she herself attended the same camp when she was a kid. She hopes it will help Elio learn some discipline and make some friends. However, Elio takes it badly. He thinks Olga is sending him away because she doesn’t want him around. And at the time, their communication is too poor for Olga to correct him.
Elio’s clone candidly asks if he should mimic Elio’s “low self-esteem and desperation to belong.”
Bryce is a human kid who shares some of Elio’s interests. But Bryce allows himself to be influenced by a bully, and he targets Elio. However, he later apologizes.
Elio hides in the trash at one point. Olga uses the “poop emoji” in a text. Elio and Glordon use the Communiverse’s enormous bathroom as a water park.
Are we alone in the universe?
That question reverberates throughout this movie. In fact, it’s a question the film wants viewers to think about after they’ve left the theater. And in Elio, the answer is a resounding “No.”
Now, in the context of this Pixar film, we get a fun little thought experiment about what aliens might be like. We see colorful creatures, interesting technology and quirky personalities. And through it all, there’s a nice message about finding a sense of belonging even when you feel alone.
However, for Christian parents, the question of “Are we alone?” could pose some bigger theological quandaries, begging deeper inquiries about creation and evolution.
But the answer to that question is, of course, still “No”—albeit in a way the filmmakers don’t intend here. God is always with us; thus, we are not alone. But when it comes to navigating the question of alien life elsewhere as this film lays it out, kids will need to have that solid faith foundation in place first.
Elio also gives parents the chance to talk about God with their kids—to talk about how much God loves us and wants us around. As parents, much like Olga and Grigon, we might sometimes fail to communicate how much we love our own children. Our children might feel misunderstood or lonely. But God’s love for them is unfailing. His love is perfect. It will never let them down or make mistakes.
If we can teach our kids to seek God, not alien affirmation, then even when they feel like nobody understands them or wants them around, they’ll remember that they aren’t alone. They have a heavenly Father who loves them and who will always be there for them.
Now, that might feel like a pretty weighty spiritual message to mine out of this film—especially when we’re talking about a Pixar movie that’s otherwise largely problem free, apart from some slapstick violence and a few surprisingly intense jump-scares. But that message is definitely present for parents who want to use this movie’s themes as a springboard to a deeper spiritual conversation about God’s love for us.
And now might just be a good time to remind parents that God isn’t just there for your children. He’s there to help you, too. And you will never be alone, either.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
