Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered if we’re truly alone? If our tiny existence, fleeting and full of questions, matters in the grand cosmic stage?
Disney Pixar’s “Elio” asks that very question, and answers it tenderly through the wide eyes of an 11-year-old boy who doesn’t quite fit in (on Earth, at least).
On June 12, 2025, SM Seaside City Cebu invited media guests, digital creators and Disney fans to an exclusive advance screening of Elio at the Large Screen Cinema, 2nd Level, City Wing. What unfolded on the screen was an exploration of loneliness and the bravery of being misunderstood.
A universe too big for one boy
Elio Solis is no ordinary child. When a cosmic accident mistakes him for Earth’s official ambassador, Elio is flung into a galaxy of sentient slimes, shape-shifting species and talking light-beings.
Voiced by Yonas Kibreab, Elio becomes the audiences’ reminder of what it means to feel small in a world (or universe) that doesn’t make space for your kind of “different.” The animated film was directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi and Adrian Molina.
Sharafian, who previously worked as a story artist for “Coco,” was all praises for the art team who really worked hard to create a completely new science fiction. The result is alien worlds that breathe like deep-sea creatures and technology that glows and bends like soft coral.
Loneliness as a starting point
At some point in our lives, loneliness steals joy quietly, but Elio reframes loneliness not as something to fear, but as the beginning of a search. Sharafian revealed that the film’s emotional roots lie deep in the creators’ own experiences. Growing up as an artistic child on a military base, co-director Molina often felt like an outsider.
The film’s core, much like American astronomer Carl Sagan’s question “Are we alone?” is not really about aliens but about us and finding out that we are never truly alone, not if we dare to connect.
“Elio” is showing in SM Cinemas nationwide starting Wednesday, June 18.