Have you ever seen a film that got outshined by its review-bombing via the internet? One that was actually quite good, but was considered a flop because of its bad reputation? Pixar’s newest film Elemental came out on June 16th, 2023, and it deserves way more credit than it was due.
Elemental takes place in a world where all characters are based on the four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. The story follows Ember(Leah Lewis), a young woman whose parents descended from Fireland: traveling to Element City in order to start a new life. Her father, Bernie(Ronnie Del Carmen) wants her to take up the family business, but after meeting a sensitive soul and water person named Wade(Mamoudou Athie), Ember has to decide between romance and a new path or repaying her parents’ sacrifice.
The animation in Elemental is absolutely stunning. The settings are so colorful and intricate, with themed details sprinkled throughout Element City and beyond. Visually stunning animated sequences along with a score and soundtrack of modern music fully immerse the audience into the elemental metropolis.
The story of Elemental was also a great allegory for the experience of first-generation immigrant children. Ember feels trapped in her own life, forced to carry on her father’s legacy through his self-owned fire retail shop because it’s all she has ever known. Wade introduces her to the idea of change, encouraging her to step outside of her comfort zone, mingling among elements different from herself and finding a career that she feels passionate about.
Elemental is an animated rom-com. The romance of Ember and Wade, pursuing a relationship despite their differences in culture. It is also a love letter to director Peter Sohn’s heritage, growing up in New York as the son of Korean immigrants. He wanted to write a story that was true to his experiences falling in love with someone of a different race and dealing with the culture clash and family conflict. He mixed his personified periodic table with human experience to create a very well-made and enjoyable film.
However, Elemental is not without its deficits. In my opinion, the pacing is rushed. Ember and Wade’s chemistry(get it?) develops a bit oddly, sometimes too slow and sometimes too fast. It was wholesome, but the timing felt odd and the traditional third-act breakup felt a bit out of place and cliche.
Despite this, Elemental is a great Pixar film. It reinvents the studio’s common generational trauma theme in a way that is fresh and unique, with gorgeous backgrounds and a well-grounded story. I would highly recommend it.
Elemental is now streaming on Disney +.