Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Elio is the latest chapter in Disney*Pixar’s storytelling legacy, and tells the story of Elio Solís, a boy with an obsession with outer space, who longs to have a close encounter amidst the stars. After the loss of his parents, Elio is sent to live with his aunt, who is in the military and has aspirations of becoming an astronaut. Elio struggles to fit in, both at home, and in school. His interest in extraterrestrials proves to be a distraction that takes up much of his time as he tries to figure out a way to contact them. Through pure happenstance, he gains access to NASA’s communication satellites, and sends a message into space.

His dream comes true when he suddenly beamed to the cosmic “Communiverse”, an interstellar based United Nations, where he meets a host of ambassadors from other planets/species, who mistake him for the leader of Earth. Elio’s experience in the Communiverse not only expands his horizons, but teaches him how important it is to build connections with loved ones back on Earth.

Elio’s story captures the magic, and adventure of space travel, via a coming-of-age narrative about a young boy searching for his self-worth, and how he comes to appreciate not only his place at home, and love of family, but as well as gaining the ability to understand those things as they exist on a universal scale.

Narratively speaking, the film’s concept, while not necessarily original, has an imaginative appeal that feels fresh. There’s a little bit of something for everyone as the story incorporates elements of family, drama, adventure, and comedy, that underscore its tone. Its sentimentality isn’t over indulgent, and doesn’t play down to the audience, resulting in a wonderful family film that I enjoyed.

Elio was derived from 6.5K sources, and finished on a 4K Digital Intermediate. This animated film presents very nicely, making the most of its digitally sourced imagery. In terms of resolution, there is a noticeably fine texture that favorably represents the character designs, and the differing environs featured in the story, both on Earth, and in the Communiverse.

The image has lots of pop as the expanded color gamut, and emboldened dynamic range, draw out the film’s broad chromatic palate, and use of contrast. Whites are gradational, and bright, and the monochromatic grays, blues, and black, featured in the sequences that place at night, or with limited lighting, appear multi-staged, and dimensional, in appearance. The application of HDR added a defining element that proved eye-catching. It looks great in 1080p, and Ultra HD, with the latter making for a visually engaging, and pleasing video presentation, that delivers a nicely rounded 4K viewing experience.

The Dolby Atmos mix makes for a rewarding home theater experience. As has been my experience with sound mixes from Disney on home video, turning the volume up to derive the most from it is a requirement. In this case I found that a 3-4db increase yielded the best results. After that, dynamics are solid, providing the elements contained within the recording with sufficient energy, and impact.

The Atmos experience effectively, and, appropriately, places effects/sounds within the soundstage thereby heightening the feeling like something is passing overhead, traveling through the room, or emanating from a specific location, resulting in an immersive surround sound presentation that achieves excellent balance. Dialog is reproduced with appreciable tonal distinction, and non-sibilant vocal character. The auditory clear, allowing the subtle environmental sounds in the recording to easily be heard. Low frequency effects are prioritized appropriately, and, on occasion, room shaking.

Bonus features are comprised of three features that consist of a behind-the-scenes look at the production, and character design, and a Q&A with a real-life astronaut. Also included are a gag reel, five deleted scenes, and a look at the Easter Eggs, and fun facts, contained in the film. As reviewed this release comes housed in attractive collectible steelbook packaging, and which also includes a Blu-ray and Digital Code.

Elio is a contemporary family film which is built around heartwarming themes that both kids, and parents, can enjoy. Its 4K video, Dolby Atmos sound, steelbook packaging, and assortment of extras, make it well worth considering for fans that enjoy Disney*Pixar films.

Ralph Potts