Pixar Animation Studios has set such an impossible standard for itself, it feels like a remarkable achievement when the studio manages to meet expectations. But, let’s be real, even when the quality of a Pixar film is less Finding Nemo and Inside Out, and more Elemental or Brave, there is often still a lot to take away from the experience and plenty for both children and adults alike, to enjoy. Luckily, the same is true for their release this year, Elio, from Coco co-director Adrian Molina, and first-time directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi. While Elio might not come close to top-shelf Pixar, it still has lots of charm, laughter and emotional wisdom to offer audiences of all ages.

Young Elio (Yonas Kibreab) lives with his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) after his parents have both died sometime earlier. Elio feels isolated from his peers and his aunt, who has given up her dreams of becoming an astronaut to take care of her nephew. Elio has a fascination with the possibility of life outside of our world, and has a desire to be abducted by aliens. And one day, he is. Chaos and misunderstandings and life lessons ensue.

Elio does not reach the lofty heights of Pixar’s gold standard, but it’s still considerably better than what most animation studios in Hollywood are cranking out these days. One of my favorite things about the Pixar movie is it can manage to offer as much to adult audiences as it does to children. Films like Inside Out, Wall•E and Coco have children enjoying the colors and the humor and the design, while the adults that accompany them are weeping. Elio has a little trouble on this front. It’s definitely more for kids than it is for adults, but once we get to the emotional climax of this story, it still had me actively tearing up. So, as a Pixar film it does its job, however it’s a bit of a bumpy ride on the way there.

I very much enjoyed the voice performances here. Child actor Yonas Kibreab who I’m unfamiliar with, does a great job with this character. He has nice chemistry with Remy Edgerly who plays Glordon, a young alien Elio meets along his journey who becomes a true friend. Zoe Saldaña is also very good as Elio’s exhausted aunt who is doing the best she can. Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil and Shirley Henderson all play various aliens Elio meets along his journey, and everyone here is doing very good work.

One thing that sticks out about Elio is the design of this universe. The world building and the character design is top notch from the moment we enter the alien world. Visually, Elio is outstanding – the character design is inventive, weird and always a pleasure to look at. And on Elio and Glordon’s adventures through this film’s created universe, it’s easy to be swept up in all of it and it’s easy to feel the sense of charm and wonder that the younger viewers in the audience will also be feeling. I did leave with some questions regarding how certain things work in this world, but I feel like it’s okay to not have everything spelled out for you.

Ultimately, I was more charmed by Elio than not, and I can definitely see this becoming a sleeper summer hit. And that’s a shame that it would have to be a sleeper summer hit, because audiences, despite constantly complaining about a lack of original ideas, are hesitant to actually give them a try when they arrive at their local multiplexes. Maybe the rise of streaming services has conditioned audiences to wait for certain things to arrive on streaming services – Disney choosing to release Soul, Luca and Turning Red as Disney+ exclusives mid-pandemic definitely turned out to be not the company’s smartest business decision – but I feel like the time to experience new and innovative stories at the cinema has returned. I don’t know how Elio is going to do at the box office, but I’m hoping to be proven wrong here.

That’s because Elio is full of charm, visual spectacle and many sophisticated and worthwhile messages for children who feel like they don’t belong in the world they live, and all the adults who were once that child. It feels more geared towards the younger audience than the grown-ups, but I feel in this instance, that works for the story. In the end, it did work well enough to move me to tears, but it doesn’t pack the emotional gut-punch so many other Pixar movies do. I would call this medium-shelf Pixar, but that’s still a very good place for a film to land. Elio is a charming, sweet and compelling adventure for the weird kid in all of us.