While Pixar has been experiencing a downturn in recent years, their newest upcoming film, Elio, is potentially one of their most exciting new projects, set to release in just one week. The last few years for Pixar have been mixed, with last year’s Inside Out 2 exceeding all expectations after a series of disappointments in the previous years. While Elio seemed like it could have been another of those disappointments, the film’s early reactions got me much more excited about the project.

Despite the success of Inside Out 2, some of Pixar’s previous few films, such as Lightyear, felt like signs of a studio that was losing its way. The majority of their upcoming projects are sequels, with Toy Story 5, Coco 2, and Incredibles 3 in development, though they do have another original film coming out next year, Hoppers. This, combined with some other issues that Elio faced, seemed to point towards another disappointment until these new first reactions claimed very much to the contrary.

Elio’s Troubles & Marketing Diminished My Interest In Pixar’s Film

The Movie’s Troubles Seemed Insurmountable

While Elio always seemed like a solid idea and could’ve easily become a Pixar classic from the concept alone, some production troubles and marketing decisions made the movie seem like it was on much shakier ground. During development, Elio changed directors after it had been in pre-production for a few years, losing Adrian Molina, co-director of Coco, who was replaced by the director behind Turning Red, Domee Shi. While director turnover does happen, it is often a sign of a troubled production and could point to a messy final product.

Another major issue is that Disney doesn’t seem to want to even try and market Elio, with very little push online or anywhere else for this film. The studio has enough money to properly market the movie, so the fact that they chose not to could be a sign that the company wasn’t expecting very much from this release. However, that tends to be more of a self-fulfilling prophecy, as if a movie isn’t marketed, then no one will see it.

Elio’s Positive Early Reactions Have Made Me More Excited For The Movie

They Have Been Extremely Positive

Now that Elio is very close to release, the first reactions have started to come out across social media, and they have been overwhelmingly positive across the board. A lot of the praise has been directed towards its animation, which is fairly on par with Pixar’s movies, so no surprise there. However, Elio‘s story, characters, and themes also garnered a lot of praise, with plenty of people saying that it was easily comparable to their best work in years past.

Elio May Be A Great Reminder Of What Makes Pixar Special After All

The Studio Is At Their Best With New IP

While Pixar has had its ups and downs in recent years, the studio’s impact on the world cannot be understated. Some of their classics remain the most iconic animated movies of all time, acting as a unifying cultural touchstone for millions of people all around the world. While Elio‘s production started roughly, and the studio has lost some amount of its prestige, their newest project could very well become the perfect representation of what makes the studio so great.

Pixar has always made sequels and franchise films, so it’s not any sort of departure for the studio. However, the IP that they are continually squeezing for new content only exists because of the original idea that managed to become successful. If these early reactions are anything to go by, and this movie is full of the same heart and humor for all that made Toy Story, Inside Out, and The Incredibles so great, then Elio could be a blueprint for Pixar’s future.

Elio is set to release in theaters on June 20, 2025.