Is Elio the Worst Pixar Movie Ever Made?

So what exactly went wrong?

"It Breaks Every Rule of Animation"

Critics and fans are dragging Elio for its visuals — not because it's low-budget, but because it seems to ignore the basics of shot composition. Multiple breakdowns have pointed out that nearly every frame sticks the subject smack in the dead center of the screen. Which, in visual storytelling terms, is the cinematic equivalent of staring at a brick wall.

"The rule of thirds? Never heard of it," one fan joked. Others compared watching it to staring straight down a highway at night — no depth, no texture, just static center-frame shots that leave your eyes begging for movement.

Viewers say you can't tell what the aliens do, how they move, or why they look the way they do.

"It's like they started with a Happy Meal toy design and animated around it," one reviewer said.

Others noted that Toy Story's background extras had more personality — in 1995.

And the criticism doesn't stop at aesthetics.

"Elio Isn't a Movie. It's a Cartoon."

Several fans pointed out that Elio doesn't feel like a real Pixar feature — it feels like something that should've gone straight to Disney+. The visual storytelling is flat, the compositions lifeless, and even the world-building comes off as uninspired. The "Communiverse" — a bland utopian space council where everything's fair and everyone gets along — was singled out as one of the most toothless settings Pixar's ever attempted.

The main character, Elio, didn't fare much better.

"He's a jerk in Act I and gets everything he wants by the end," one viewer said.

Another pointed out he steals from a classmate early on and never really earns redemption. It's a character arc that goes nowhere — fast.

Even background characters drew heat. Elio's mom, a military scientist, wears the same uniform and bun in every scene — even when she's off-duty. "She looks like she walked off the Army recruitment poster and never changed," one commenter said. And nearly every white character in the film? Either a bully or an idiot. Fans weren't shy about calling out the weird imbalance.

A major step backward

There's also a recurring frustration about who's calling the shots behind the scenes. Fans are accusing Pixar of elevating inexperienced teams to major creative roles — not based on talent, but based on internal politics. Some blamed the decline on "getting rid of the old Pixar veterans" and replacing them with what they call "unqualified designers and storytellers."

One person flat-out said: "This was made by people who didn't know what they were doing."

If that sounds harsh, it's because it is. Fans aren't pulling punches anymore. The overall feeling is that Pixar — once known for Toy Story, Inside Out, and The Incredibles — is losing the magic fast. Inside Out 2 was seen as a momentary return to form. Elio, by contrast, is being seen as a major step backward.