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Elemental Movie Review

Elemental is a 2023 animated romantic fantasy film directed by Peter Sohn. It is the 27^th feature film from Pixar and one of their solid, though far from great entries.

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“I’m Wade.

I’m Ember“

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In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and an aquatic guy start a romantic relationship. While ‘WALL-E’ did feature a great romance, it was primarily a science fiction story, so that leaves us with Elemental – the first true romance movie to come from Pixar. In that regard, the movie is very Disneyesque.

However, in every other regard it is a standard Pixar film and by that I mean that the messages and themes are very mature and adult. It deals with immigration, miscegenation and the many difficulties that immigration entails. It is also a typically empowering story about the importance of finding your own path in life and not conforming to familial responsibilities.

All of these themes are familiar for the animation medium and how they were handled was both on-the-nose and full of clichés. There is also a prominent emphasis here on sexual jokes, which was too odd for what is supposed to be a family-friendly flick. The decisive lack of any humor was also very problematic as the movie never lets go and learns to be fun. It is too simple for adults and too complicated for children, which is an issue many recent Pixar movies share.

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Where Elemental succeeds at is in the romance department. While nowhere near as superb as some of the best Disney romances, the relationship between Ember and Wade is still quite a memorable one. The two are charming and dynamic together and it is very easy to root for them to find happiness. Some of the conversations the two share are quite moving. The highlight is the scene where Ember goes underwater in a bubble. That was the coolest and most magical scene in the entire movie.

Both sets of parents were typical, though Wade’s parents fared better as they were actually fully supportive instead of opposing their relationship. The only joke/running gag in the film that entirely worked is that gag about Wade’s family being too emotional and crying all the time. This scenario almost acted as Pixar’s self-parodic joke about their obsession with emotions.

Elemental is about the elements having emotions this time around, which by now has become a joke about the studio, but at least they can still deliver some effective resonance in that department. A couple of scenes were definitely charming and touching. My problem with the world building is that we never really got to fully experience this cool world. The high-concept idea that elements would be fully realized people and they would be living together in one city was a terrific one, but the film’s screenplay was both contrived and annoyingly devoid of real thrills and/or danger.

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Elemental was in desperate need of conflict throughout. How the physics worked was also ludicrous, though the basics about the elements were realistic, which may function as a good science lesson for children. I just wanted more of those magical and/or adventurous moments and less family drama. Thankfully, the animation is incredible as only in this era can we finally see a fully realized fiery effect. Not only is the city gorgeous-looking, meticulously detailed and vibrant in colors, but the fire and water effects were staggering and also included in every single scene, which was so admirable. The soundtrack is also quite fun while the voice acting was excellent.