Despite its astounding reputation, Pixar has been struggling in recent years, but its recent animated release appears to be a return to its glory days. The studio, which specializes in animated movies, is best known for creating Toy Story (1995), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), and other major franchises. It even specializes in emotional one-off movies, including Up! (2009), WALL-E (2008), and Ratatouille (2007). Those various Pixar films helped to create a sparkling impression of the studio, but it has struggled in recent years.
The 2020s have been a difficult time for Pixar, as several projects have gone straight to streaming, like Turning Red (2022) and Soul (2020). Then, there was a lukewarm reception for movies like Lightyear (2022). Elemental proved to be an exception, as its long legs turned a $30 million opening into an impressive $485 million run. Inside Out 2 (2024) was another major win for the studio, earning $1.7 billion at the box office. While they had impressive totals, Pixar needs its latest release to be a success, and its audience score indicates that it is.
Pixar’s Newest Movie Is An Audience Hit
Viewers Are Loving Elio
Pixar’s latest animated feature, Elio, is already receiving out-of-this-world reviews. The movie follows Yonas Kibreab’s Elio, a boy who dreams of being abducted by aliens, only to be mistaken for the Ambᴀssador of Earth by real aliens. Kibreab is joined by Zoe Saldaña (Aunt Olga), Shirley Henderson (OOOOO), Matthias Schweighöfer (Tegmen), and other stars. Elio has a $150 million budget and is expected to see just $22 million at the box office, which would represent the lowest opening weekend in Pixar’s entire history.
While it may be struggling financially, Elio has not disappointed the audiences that did head to theaters this weekend. The movie officially has a 90% Popcornmeter score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, earning an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. That total is joined by an impressive 85% Tomatometer score. That total is nearly enough to match the original Toy Story (1995)’s 92% Popcornmeter score, and Elio even surpᴀsses its average rating of 3.8 out of 5.
What This Means For Elio’s Reception
The Movie Is Still Struggling At The Box Office
While the box office results are disappointing, it should be expected for a movie that saw as much change as this film did. Elio is radically different from Pixar’s original vision, with the first trailer featuring a version of the character who was terrified of going to space. It changed drastically, as Elio is now an excited, alien-loving young boy who always wanted to go to space. With such a disparate image of the movie in its various stages of marketing, it should not come as a surprise that audiences were reluctant to see the film, especially when they could wait to view it on Disney+.
Adrian Molina was the original Elio director, but he was eventually replaced by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi partway through production.
If Elio is to see success, it will need to mimic Elemental‘s path to success, and it’s quite possible. The 2023 movie earned a 93% Popcornmeter score with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. That is nearly the exact scenario for Elio, so it should indicate a similar road to profitability through positive word of mouth. As viewers have praised its stunning animation, strong character work, and delightful soundtrack, Elio may now finally begin to draw viewers through its near-universal praise, especially if audiences can campaign for the film.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
