Director: Peter Sohn
Writers: John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh
Stars: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen
Synopsis: Follows Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together.
Pixar is one of the few studios with sky-high expectations with every animated film release. Every single effort has the potential to become a classic, which happens when your first film is Toy Story. A studio with the guts to avoid sequels during its first ten releases has some magic from Pixar’s initial run. Their latest, Elemental, the studio’s label of stunning animation, a visual marvel, along with a heart-swelling story, a beautifully captivating Thomas Newman score, and a script that has a surprisingly hard time developing a sense of humor.
Elemental follows the story of the vast and vibrant cultures of Element City, where members of the fire, water, land, and air communities live together, but not exactly in harmony, but tend to interact with their own kind. That’s because some elements don’t mix. For instance, water can douse fire, and fire can boil water. The film’s main character, Ember (Leah Lewis), resides in Firetown. Ember is being trained by her father, Bernie (Ronnie Del Carmen), and her mother, Cinder (Shila Ommi), to take over the family business, a convenience store called The Fireplace, a local market known for its Richard Montañez-like flamin’ hot firewood nuggets, eternal blue flame from the old country, and her mother’s tarot card readings.
Ember has all the makings to be successful in taking over the family business if it wasn’t for her blazing hot temper that burns purple. After dealing with a resident who felt “buy one get one free” sparklers met the “just want the free one” condition, she screamed in the basement, causing the water pipes to burst (which is strange since the water was shut off from Firetown years ago). That brings in rushing water and a city inspector, an emotional water being named Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), who was sucked into the pipes and must report the numerous violations he comes across. To avoid all the fines that could put the Fireplace out of business, Wade’s boss, a stormy cloud named Gale (Wendi McLendon-Covey), enlists them to find the water source and fix the issue to save her family business.
Elemental is directed by Peter Sohn, his follow-up to Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur. Sohn is working with a screenplay from John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh, a team whose resumes are writing for Melissa & Joey and Truth Be Told. Elemental’s most significant issue is that the movie is void of humor, with the jokes being only amusing at best. However, what Elemental does have going for it is a deeply thematic and rich story about first-generation immigrants, vulnerable populations, and the overall level of acceptance. The story of the Lumens is told through a lens of the first-generation immigrant family experience, touching on issues of assimilation, economics, prejudice, and freedom of choice, the latter being particularly relevant for the second generation, who are the main reason for migrating in the first place to bring them a better life. There’s a wonderful sense of community in Elemental, with the Fireplace as a community center where residents can gather.
The entire film is a gigantic metaphor for the division we live in. Sohn and his writing identify themes of socioeconomic issues that come with division and members of disadvantaged communities. You’ll see how the Lumens and the residents of Firetown are examples of concentrated poverty. When the Lumens arrive in Element City, their names are changed during their admission, similar to stories you would hear at Ellis Island. Bernie and Cinder are guided to the poorest part of town because that’s all they can afford, and “their kind” are considered a danger to an area different from theirs. (The issues of prejudice are shown with people’s concerns about “fire” burning down their homes, but you can see this being an inspiration for “blockbusting” and keeping property values high). Elemental’s subtle candy-coated storytelling of these themes makes the animated film brave and profound. You’ll even watch The Ripples, clearly the wealthy and influential residents of the area, as one of Wade’s older relatives has a “well-meaning” racial microaggression comment about how Ember “speaks so well.”
While some won’t pick up on those subtle nuances, what many mainstream fans will love is the superb marriage of the film’s jaw-dropping animation and the soul-stirring romance between Ember and Wally. The characters’ vibrancy is constantly fluid and in motion, which is meticulous, with the remnants of smoke, smut, and droplets left behind. At the same time, you’ll also notice the speed of Ember’s frames or the morphing of Wally’s body changing depending on their emotions and moods. The colors and textures can be breathtaking, mainly when Ember and Wade express romantic feelings. (For example, the film’s best moment is when they can touch without putting either character in danger). Still, the film’s storytelling, along with Elemental’s vibrant and marvelous visuals as a whole, is a very good, animated romance but fails when it panders to the audience’s expectations of including broad comedy. Some of the best bits, like Wally as a child getting stuck in a sponge, are cute but rarely induce any out loud laughter. Elemental hits the right notes with the love story and familial moments – I will say the script comes dangerously close with Wally “whitesplaining” to Ember why she should go against cultural expectations – Sohn’s overall experience is positive, as he tells a familiar story with subtle social commentary.
