What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedElio
Domee Shi · Film · 2025
If you loved Elio, start with The Doomies (2026) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Elio across media.
If Elio resonated with you, you will appreciate how these stories balance grand cosmic stakes with deeply personal journeys of identity.
Books on the same thread
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir · Book · 2021
Explores: Amnesia, Planetary Survival, Xenobiology.
Like Elio, this story centers on a lone individual navigating an overwhelming interstellar crisis, proving that even the most daunting cosmic challenges require a human touch to survive.
Watching Over Us
Will McIntosh · Book · 2025
Explores: Child Soldiers, Resistance, Underdog Story.
Just as Elio finds himself unexpectedly caught in an intergalactic struggle, this story follows young protagonists forced to find their footing while facing a formidable alien presence.
Arrival
Ted Chiang · Book · 2016
Explores: Alien Contact, Linguistics, Time Perception.
Much like Elio, this narrative explores the profound impact of first contact, emphasizing how the delicate process of understanding alien communication fundamentally changes the way we perceive ourselves.
Ready Player One: A Novel
Ernest Cline · Book · 2017
Explores: Nostalgia, Virtual Reality, Escapism.
If you enjoyed the escapism of Elio, you will gravitate toward this immersive journey where an ordinary person is thrust into a high-stakes adventure that tests their character.
Series on the same thread
Win or Lose
Series · 2025
Explores: Teamwork, Pressure, Personal Growth.
This series captures the same coming-of-age spirit found in Elio, focusing on how individuals navigate the mounting pressure of life-changing events while relying on their own personal growth.
The Doomies
Series · 2026
Explores: coming-of-age, interdimensional travel, monsters next door.
Sharing the sense of wonder seen in Elio, this story follows friends who accidentally stumble into a supernatural crisis, turning their ordinary world into a playground for interdimensional discovery.
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball
Ben Bocquelet · Series · 2025
Explores: Subversion of Reality, Family Dynamics, Small Town Life.
Those who loved the imaginative chaos of Elio will appreciate the surreal, high-energy environment here, where the subversion of reality creates an unpredictable backdrop for family-centered comedy.
Solar Opposites
Mike McMahan · Series · 2020
Shares a thread with Elio: Fish Out of Water.
Much like the fish-out-of-water dynamic in Elio, this show explores the friction and humor of alien life navigating a new world, blending impending doom with a dysfunctional family bond.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
Mirroring the cosmic adventure of Elio, this audio drama provides a cinematic look at survival in a vast universe, focusing on the emotional connections formed in far-flung, hostile environments.
The Adventure Zone
The McElroys · Podcast · 2026
Explores: improvised storytelling, group dynamics, high fantasy satire.
This show captures the sense of improvised discovery found in Elio, relying on group dynamics and humor to turn a high-stakes campaign into a journey of unexpected personal heroics.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Elio a space-themed movie?
Yes, Elio centers on a space fanatic who experiences a cosmic misadventure. The plot follows his journey as he encounters eccentric alien lifeforms and navigates a crisis of intergalactic proportions while attempting to discover his true identity.
What is the main conflict in Elio?
The main conflict in Elio involves the protagonist being thrust into a crisis of intergalactic proportions. He must navigate this situation while forming new bonds with various alien lifeforms and figuring out who he is truly meant to be.
Who directed the movie Elio?
The movie Elio is directed by Domee Shi. The story follows a young boy with an active imagination who finds himself involved in a cosmic misadventure that tests his character and forces him to adapt to an extraterrestrial environment.
Does Elio feature alien characters?
Yes, Elio features eccentric alien lifeforms. As the protagonist travels through space during his cosmic misadventure, he is required to form new bonds with these creatures to resolve the intergalactic crisis he finds himself facing.