Elio

Inside Out 2 pulled Pixar Animation Studios out of a multi-film funk last summer, and a mere year later we get Elio, possibly the best overall Pixar film since Soul.

Following the eponymous preteen (voiced by Yonas Kibreab, Sweet Tooth) as his obsession with extraterrestrial life takes him to unexpected places, the movie has much in common tonally and thematically with the excellent Turning Red — appropriate since that charming film’s writer/director Domee Shi is one of three directors and four people with Story By credits.

Though no giant red pandas or regular-sized boy bands appear, Elio’s trip to the stars brings him in contact with wild-looking beings from far-away places that somehow weren't in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In typical Pixar fashion, the visual wonder is nicely paired with hilarious dialogue, this variation of which drops sufficient information concerning Elio’s recruitment by the Galactic Senate-esque Communiverse and its rejection of Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) — who quickly plots his violent revenge — all while keeping the film’s pace cooking.

Tasked with talking sense into their new adversary, Elio stumbles upon Grigon’s son Glordon (Remy Edgerly, Sing 2) and the fast friendship that develops between these brothers from another cocoon results in what's likely to wind up being one of the year’s best duos. Meanwhile, a clone of Elio that's sent back to Earth so his aspiring astronaut aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña) won't suspect he's gone yields big laughs being a little too good at his assignment.

As these narrative strands coalesce, Shi and her team ratchet up the humor, heart, and thrills in impressively cohesive fashion, and manage to work in several big surprises that elicit big feelings without being manipulative.

Whatever your thoughts on Pixar, 30 years into its run, this love letter to ham radio, the Golden Record, and other interstellar nerdery has the power to bring you back into the fold. If you’re already there (and never truly left), it’s likely to reinforce the greatness that it’s been able to sustain (with only a few hiccups) during its impressive history.

Grade: A-minus. Rated PG. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Disney/Pixar)