Elio: Pixar's Underrated Sci-Fi Gem Gaining Recognition On Streaming

Pixar has many great movies, and its underrated sci-fi movie from 2025 is now getting the recognition it deserves. Pixar continues to be a powerhouse in the animation field and has various titles among the best movies of all time. Although most of Pixar’s movies are now classics, some recent projects haven’t been well-received.

Pixar has struggled since Onward, which had a short theatrical run due to the pandemic, and though it has had good movies, they haven’t had the success of previous movies (except for Inside Out 2). One of them is Elio, Pixar’s only movie in 2025, which is now getting the recognition it deserves on streaming after failing at the box office.

Elio Is Pixar's Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movie

Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina, Elio is a sci-fi adventure movie. Elio introduces viewers to the title character (voiced by Yonas Kibread), an 11-year-old boy living with his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña), an Air Force major who gave up her dream of becoming an astronaut, after the death of his parents.

Fascinated by the possibility of other forms of life in space, Elio becomes obsessed with the idea of being abducted by aliens, wishing they would come for him someday. Elio’s wish comes true one night after sending a message into space, and alien creatures believe he’s the ambassador of Earth. This is the beginning of Elio’s adventure across space, where he makes a new friend.

Elio was very well received by critics, who praised its originality, story, charming characters, and tone. Although Elio isn’t Pixar’s first movie set in space, as there’s also Lightyear, it’s a lot more original than Buzz’s movie, which, while not bad, is predictable.

Elio has all the elements of a great Pixar movie, with a family story, a charming lead character, heartwarming friendships, fantasy elements, and stunning visuals. Unfortunately, Elio didn’t get the recognition it deserved during its theatrical run.

Why Elio Didn’t Succeed During Its Theatrical Run

As mentioned above, Pixar has struggled at the box office since the pandemic, and though Elio was a critical success, it had the opposite result at the box office. Elio is one of Pixar’s biggest box-office failures, grossing $154 million against a budget of $150-200 million, and this is, in large part, the studio’s fault.

Elio suffered the consequences of a poor marketing campaign, with potential viewers unaware of what the movie was really about, and the trailers not doing much either to sell the movie and attract the attention of its target audience. On top of that, Elio had strong competition, as the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon was also in theaters.

Will Elio Ever Get A Sequel?

Pixar has many sequels in its filmography, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Elio will join that group. At the time of writing, there are no plans for a sequel to Elio, and it's unlikely that its disappointing box office numbers will make way for any continuations.

However, with Elio gaining attention on streaming, Pixar could reconsider expanding its universe, and if not with a sequel, it could do it with short films and other forms of extended media.