One of the great things about summer is getting to spend time with the whole family. You want to head to the theaters as much as possible, and summer 2025 is shaping up to be perfect for that. Elio is the latest family movie to hit theaters, and it’s a must-watch with the space explorers.
Elio follows an 11-year-old boy who has an active imagination, so you can guess his excitement when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse. It turns out that this is an interplanetary organization, bringing together all the various galaxies, and Elio has been mistaken as the ambassador for Earth.
Well, he heads out on an epic space adventure, while also learning much more about aliens and the bonds they all have. At the same time, he learns more about himself and the world that he has been living in.
Elio age rating: Explaining the PG rating
Officially, this new Pixar movie is rated PG, which suggests that it’s suitable for the majority of children. The PG rating usually means that those seven and up will be fine, but younger viewers will definitely want a parent there for some of the slightly scarier moments. Once children have watched it once, though, they have an idea of what to expect, and they won’t find the scenes as frightening.
Sex & nudity: You don’t need to worry about any of this. The focus is on Elio on his space adventure.
Violence & gore: While there is an adventure, and it does mean some hair-raising moments, the movie isn’t inherently violent. While on Earth, there are some moments of bullying and child-like fighting, such as wrestling with a tween over a machine. These are great teaching moments with younger children.
When in space, there is a scene that involves an alien wanting to destroy another one. This is mostly indicated through words rather than any form of violence, and again, it’s a great teaching moment for children to learn right from wrong.
Language: There is no swearing throughout Elio.
Alcohol & drugs: Likewise, there is no use of alcohol or drugs throughout the family movie.
Overall verdict: Who is Elio appropriate for?
This is most definitely a summer movie to take your kids to. I know a lot of reviews have said that it falls a little flat, but I honestly think we need to ask the audience Elio is actually made for. My youngest, who is nine, enjoyed the adventure and found nothing wrong with it. She wants to know when it will come to streaming!
Overall, this is a kids’ movie, and there are some great life lessons to learn. I’d even say some slightly younger-than-seven kids could handle the “frightening” scenes, but you’ll want to be there with them the first time so that you can have a discussion about it all afterward.
Elio is available in theaters now.