Elemental

In a world where beings of fire, water, air, and earth exist, Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) is a first generation fire elemental and daughter of immigrants Bernie and Cinder (Ronnie del Carmen and Shila Ommi respectively) who emigrated to Element City facing prejudice and systemic segregation to start a bodega, called The Fireplace, that is the unofficial hub of Firetown which Bernie hopes Ember will someday inherit. Ember routinely struggles to keep her temper with customers and during one such episode inadvertently damages an old water pipe which pulls in city inspector Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) from the other side of town and must reluctantly issue several citations on the bodega. After learning of Ember's struggles with trying to takeover The Fireplace from her ailing father, Wade feeling guilty over it tries to help Ember save The Fireplace as well as find out why there is water still running through Firetown when it shouldn't and eventually a romance blooms in spite of the historic incompatibility with fire and water.

Elemental is the latest film from Pixar and comes to us from director Peter Sohn who based the initial idea off his immigrant parents and based the underlying concept around the relationship between fire and water. The film was primarily based off of the structure of romantic comedies and dramas such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and The Big Sick while also building those ideas around the core elemental one. In terms of execution Elemental does have some of the same issues of Sohn's The Good Dinosaur, but it is a nice light romance with a solid presentation of its core themes.

I'll start off by saying the opening scenes where we establish Element City and the characters of Bernie and Cinder are really good as we see them rejected by several prospective renters as despite Element City's history of welcoming immigrants as per the murals on the harbor, the fire elementals being the newest entrants to society are very much treated with hostility and prejudice. This sequence continues onward with the Lumen's eventually buying a neglected building an refurbishing it as their bodega and overtime it becoming the central point of Firetown. The animation used to bring the elementals and their world to life is nicely done as there's a lot of great details in the textures and movements of the characters with the distortions of water and the movement of fire and while on occasion the world building can seem a little spotty and doesn't feel as fully realized as Zootopia's, it does a good job of addressing systemic racism in communities. Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie are both really solid as Ember and Wade and their interactions with each other are complemented with some cute moments and amusing exchanges. I also rather liked the relationship with Ember and her father Bernie played by Ronnie del Carmen that while sweet does a good job of setting up the wedge issue.

While I think Elemental has good pieces in place, I did feel like some parts of the film felt underdeveloped especially in regards to a leak in Firetown responsible for the water seeping in that doesn't feel all that interesting and I felt like from a world building perspective it opened up some questions that the movie didn't really address. While Elemental has no villain in it, this is the kind of plot point that feels like it could've used a villain be it an unscrupulous developer or a construction firm rigging bids to add that little extra "something" that's missing from this plot point because it's a pretty big one and its not all that fleshed out.

I liked Elemental for the things that did genuinely work even if it stands in the shadows of others who've covered similar material. I think this is a much better project from Peter Sohn in comparison to The Good Dinosaur even if like that film there are still some flubs in the presentation of the central idea even if not to the extent The Good Dinosaur had them. But contrary to what people have said, this is not one of Pixar's worst movies especially when you consider the Cars trilogy and Lightyear exist.

I loved the colors so much, the charm, and great feel good vibes! Sure a lot goes wrong a lot like Buzzlightyear but it's way more satisfying and has lovely romance. To me it's one of the best kids movies I've seen this year besides Into the Spider-verse. I was a bit nauseas in the last half and been tired all day and still loved this a lot especially with the wonderful music makes everything so sweet. I'm not fully sure why people bashed this besides the amount that goes wrong it's well acted and wholesome with great diversity mashed in perfectly throughout. I was even late to getting a ticket and a sweet family let me have the spot the they had so the mom could sit with her kids, always magnificent when most the audience claps afterwards too.

Visually the animation was really good. Literally Elemental was brilliant to watch. Also, have to admit that I was not expecting much from a movie about fire and water falling in love. Disney has always made movies for children in which they teach them to do whatever their heart desire through the story of a creature or an object that really should not or can't change it spots. Now they've picked the elements.

Elemental has more in-depth story about Immigrants I was not expecting in a Disney/Pixar movie. It was not hidden at all. Neither was the romance between fire and Ice which I was very different for these movies.

It was so different from what I expected, and it was refreshing.

Elemental

This tells the story of a water element and fire element falling in love; Elemental is a fresh spin on the opposites attract love story.

Themes of racial prejudice, systemic segregation, immigration and parental expectations are explored.

The biggest praise Elemental has is its leads. They're very distinct (not that surprising, seeing as they are different elements), and memorable; their love story is also told brilliantly. The relationship between the female lead and her father is also poignant, and drives the story and the decisions she takes, which ultimately provides a brilliant story arc for her character.

The animation of Elemental is rich and vibrant. The score is also great.

Elemental is sweet, funny and heartfelt (it drew a tear from me).

8.5-9/10.

HOT TAKE: Elemental is amazing. Yes, pun intended but I'm so serious here, folks; this was very done and I urge you to give it a fair shot. Elemental is a modern yet fantastical odyssey of romance and self-realization clashing with the weight of ethnic and generational expectations. A colorful and cultural onslaught of imagination, relatability and sentiment, tailored by two endearing leads with irresistible chemistry.

I'm usually not one for romcoms but if the leads are engaging enough, then I'm sold. Ember and Wade - voiced by fresh talent Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie, respectively - share a captivating journey together, one that isn't just focused on love but puts their humanity in a binding spotlight. Their relationship flows oh-so naturally and is 10x more enchanting than any prince and princess story. You know that scene from WALL-E where the robots dance outside the spaceship? Almost the entirety of Elemental follows that one gorgeous sequence's beat and it's utterly charming.

The animation is quite stunning to behold; fluid, expressive and diverse. I can tell Pixar had so much fun with it while pushing the envelope; such a delight to watch. The world drips with inventiveness and attention to detail; I wouldn't pass on living in Element City. I can't leave out Thomas Newman's music, too. This is the composer's fourth collaboration with Pixar (the first since Finding Dory) and his score doesn't disappoint; lovely, often hypnotizing, and always hits the right notes.

Elemental is one of the most soulful and compassionate pictures to come out of Pixar in recent years and it's getting such a bum rap for no good reason. Look, it may seem familiar on the surface but - as expected from the studio that pioneered the art form and tells personal stories - Elemental is built from real relationships and social conflicts and has moving answers to questions on affection, immigration, pressure, sacrifice, and free will. Prepare for some sniffles and tears. I felt the love that was put into it every second and that standing ovation at Cannes was well-earned.

Congrats, Peter Sohn. Thanks for telling your story.