Arguably one of the most unique stories in animation was released in theaters this past June, but almost no one went to see it. Why? Well, all of the blame can be put on the studios that created the movie, Disney and Pixar.
With few successes in past years, only having films like “Inside Out 2” and “Soul” be truly outstanding to fans, one would think that Pixar is aiming toward moving in the right direction. However, despite a special and unique story for viewers, with little to no marketing this film was sadly overlooked by audiences.
“Elio” is a touching story about a young boy with a fascination for space. After losing his parents, Elio’s Aunt Olga becomes his guardian. Feeling like he isn’t wanted, Elio gets abducted by aliens – something he’d always been hoping for – and creates new friends, relationships, and problems up in space.
This story deals with tough topics like loss, loneliness, and the struggles of parenting. Also, while it’s never explicitly stated in the script, many viewers agree that Elio demonstrates traits of a kid with autism. Through his hyperfixation on space, inability to make friends, avoiding interactions with people, and his use of non-verbal communication through drawings and hand signals, it’s pretty clear that Pixar had a vision and they might’ve found it “too risky” to confirm Elio as a character with autism.
So, this should’ve been a successful new story that audiences would be begging to see, but it seems as if Disney wasn’t willing to take risks. Even with a stated “hefty global marketing spend,” there was little to no talk about “Elio,” even in the few weeks leading up to its release.
I believe that the main problem here is that Disney is focusing on sequels, because that’s what has proven to be prosperous recently, and turning away from original stories. Films like “Moana 2” and “Inside Out 2” made over a billion dollars at the box office, even nearly ten years after their original film releases. So, an original story like “Elio” didn’t seem that profitable to the company. But the thing is, it could have been.
With an 83 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics enjoyed the visuals and “refreshing” story that “Elio” had to offer. Audiences enjoyed it even more, pushing the film to a score of 90 percent. Nevertheless, “Elio” had the worst opening weekend for a Pixar film in history, and still today has only grossed 152.5 million at the global box office, not even breaking even with the film’s budget.
The biggest takeaway from this for Disney and Pixar should be that sometimes, the best stories are ones that people have never seen before, and putting more focus on unique and new stories can prove to be extremely valuable to the company and its audiences. Watching “Elio” for the first time, I felt so much emotion that I was not expecting. It was an incredible story and is easily one of my favorite films from Disney and Pixar.
Most importantly, “Elio” is a story that everyone needs to see.
