Elio (PG) - 98 minutes

Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) is an 11-year-old boy who feels all alone in a world where he doesn't fit in.

Both his parents have passed.

He is now in the care of his aunt Olga (the voice of Zoe Saldana), a US armed services officer, with whom he feels no real connection.

Elio is also obsessed with the thought that there are aliens out there, in the wide expanse of the universe.

Then an overheard message confirms his belief.

 From then on, he is intent on making contact, even creating a large sign in the sand inviting aliens to abduct him.

And, it happens … but not in the way he expected.

Suddenly, he is beamed up, as members of an interplanetary organisation known as the Communiverse mistakenly believe he is the leader of Earth.

He meets a series of alien lifeforms and creates an unmistakable bond with Glordon (Remy Edgerly), the young son of fiery warlord Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett).

While Lord Grigon would like Glordon to follow in his footsteps, the youngster, who is peace-loving, is far from keen.

Elio finds himself in the midst of the familial tension, as Lord Grigon holds the Communiverse hostage.

As the truth outs that Elio is not the leader of Earth, he must find a way to diffuse the perilous situation in which members of the Communiverse find themselves.

Meanwhile, aunt Olga is worried sick about Elio, who initially appeases her by sending a clone back to Earth to act as his surrogate.

But aunt Olga is suspicious because the clone’s actions and words are the opposite of what she is used to hearing from Elio.

In turn, Elio comes to realise that she really does care about him.

Elio is a boys’ own adventure of epic proportions, involving colourful characters and fraught interplanetary relations.

The animators have done well and the premise of not fitting in is one that, I dare say, many can readily relate to.

While I appreciated the focus on meaningful relationships (that between a boy and his aunt and a father and his son), I thought given the starting point that both thawed a little too easily and conveniently.

I felt that Elio, the movie, was a bit too simplistic.

It could have done with more plot development – a few additional twists and turns.

There is a lot of bluster about Lord Grigon as the antagonist (a good villain always gets the blood pumping).

Best of all was the relationship between Elio and Glordon, which formed the centrepiece of the film.

In summary, while Elio, the movie, was okay, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, given what the studio has previously produced.

Rated PG, it scores a 6½ out of 10.