It’s strange how much I talked down upon this movie despite never reviewing it. It was more of me going on about the amount of money that was spent on the picture even though there has been plenty of other recent animated films such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and TMNT: Mutant Mayhem that had less budgets but more creative and impressive animation with having a cast of much more recognizable celebrities. There was also the notion of Disney not putting as much effort on marketing their animated films as much as they used to since Bob Chapek too over, current strikes and Bob Iger stalling it not withstanding. However, all of that was mostly after the film was able to comeback with strong legs at the box office, so much to the point where it was able to make it’s money back completely according to Pixar themselves. Even so, I never did talk about the actual quality of the motion picture.
Although I did claim I didn’t think Elemental was among Pixar’s very best and would put it in the middle-of-the-pack of their filmography, I never thought it was bad. However, after watching it again on Disney Plus this week, I now find myself having to slightly reevaluate with as this film is much better than I originally gave it credit for. While I still don’t think Elemental is one of the very best Pixar films, it still is a damn good Pixar film and worthy of praise.
Premise: Set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic elements of nature, the story follows a tough, quick-witted fire element Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis), that also happens to have temper issues. She meets a sappy water element Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), after he is summoned by a plumbing accident at a convenience store owned by Ember’s father, Bernie (Del Carmen). As the two spend more time together, Ember comes to vision a life not just with Wade but outside of working at a convenience store. It’s then that she must choose between being with Wade and taking the first steps towards an uncharted but promising future as an intern or fulfill her father’s legacy by taking over the shop.
On the surface, Elemental seems to be the Pixar-equivalent of Zootopia. In the sense that it’s a film that covers important themes of race, migration, and inclusivity while taking a place in a world full of anthrophonic figures and not being afraid to deliver some of the most on-the-nose puns you would expect with it’s kind of premise. While I definitely got that impression with from an aesthetic, thematic, and world building standpoint, the story that Elemental sets to tell is one that feels more grounded and personal than that of Zootopia. Not only in the sense that it’s a love story that feels oddly refreshing or finding your place in the world, but it’s also about the amount of pressure of living up to someone’s expectations versus living up to your own expectations.
First off, I love the way the film portrays life as being a retail worker. It’s not always an easy job as many people claim it is. While it’s certainly good work experience that teaches great knowledge in accomplishing certain tasks and providing good costumer service, there will always be at least one incident that takes you out of it entirely. Regardless of how many people you service well, just dealing with one person that isn’t served well will have a dire impact on you. All it takes is dealing with one grouchy consumer or being overwhelmed with many different costumers at the same time that your temper takes over and gets the better of you. As someone that has previously worked at a similar retail job and even about to work at another one until further notice, I certainly find that aspect very relatable.
By working at the store, Ember is trying very hard to set herself up as taking over her father’s mantle with the shop but is doing so at the expense of her own happiness. No matter how hard she tries, she can just never let go of the fact that she has other desires for her life than simply working at her parent’s store her whole life. She doesn’t want anyone else to say that out loud and for her to hear but it’s deep down how she truly feels. Even if that doesn’t make her the perfect daughter, it makes Ember her perfect self.
Of course, the other main focus of the film involves around Ember’s relationship with Wade. Once again, Wade is someone that Ember deep downs believes she shouldn’t fall in love with but it’s just how she feels. Even if it feels like an unwritten rule for a fire and water element to be together in ways that makes as much logical sense as the world of Cars, it’s an attraction that feels genuine to both elements, which is the most important thing of all. It brings together the true meaning of love in a way that both elements discover about themselves throughout the course of the film. They don’t just have much in common but they have something elemental. While this sure isn’t a premise that will set the world on fire (Pun definitely intended!), but it’s able to hold water greatly (Again, pun certainly intended!) because of how earnest the relationship between Ember and Wade feels and Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie sharing great chemistry with one another.
As much as I’ve been ragging about the cost of the animation of this film, I can’t deny it looks as absolutely stunning as one could imagine from a Disney Pixar film in 2023. The world themselves are filled with bright colors and visuals that offer it’s own sense of uniqueness to it and capture the mood of each scene perfectly. There are plenty of gorgeous shots throughout the entire film that will make anyone want to pause the film to admire it’s beauty whether you’re watching on a 4K TV or even a laptop. And while the worlds themselves aren’t as fully explored as say the ones in Zootopia, they are still very fun to explore with enough creative set pieces and visually imagery to keep you interested in every moment you spend in Elemental City.
Arguably the biggest appreciation for Elemental would have to go to it’s overall sound. The voice work by Leah Lewis as Ember and Mamoudou Athie as Wade is very well done, as previously stated, along with the rest of the cast of actors that is fairly new to me. The biggest standout however is that of the original score from Thomas Newton. It’s incredibly soothing, relaxing, and is an absolute treat to the ears. Not only does it perfectly reflect what the tone is from each scene but also how the characters and audience are suppose to feel throughout the entire picture. From the very opening scene, you just get the scene that the score will stick with you the whole way through and it certainly did just that for me.
What stops Elemental from being top-tier Pixar mostly had to do with it’s timing. Not necessarily because the relevant and timely themes the film presents but more of because it’s the kind of themes that Disney and Pixar have tackled plenty for at least the past two decades. Themes such as finding your place in the worlds, your destiny not being set in stone, and welcoming other race and parties to your group have been done to death at this point and basically becoming an absolute blueprint at this point. While it’s all still done well here, it basically feels like a case of the same things but with a different code of paint. While Elemental can definitely be consider groundbreaking for it’s animation, it’s far from groundbreaking when it comes to themes and storytelling.
Perhaps it’s because things have slowly changed for me in my life than it was when I saw this film back in June but I definitely believe Elemental will stand the test of time as being an absolute gem of Pixar’s library. Maybe not the very best but definitely one that plenty will find to be another worthy addition to their library. It’s looks gorgeous, it’s very charming, the characters are engaging, the music is beautiful, and even the similar themes it tackles are done very well and might even stand out greater than other Disney and Pixar films that have done it to some people. I’m sure glad this film was able to stand strong at the box office as this might be an encouraging sign for Pixar’s future in movie theaters. I might have not enjoyed The Good Dinosaur but director Peter Sohn was able to win me over in Round Two with Elemental. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend it.
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