Shakespeare needn’t worry that Pixar’s Elemental will replace Romeo and Juliet as the #1 love story of all time. However, this colorful animation has a right to be considered one of its kind in its thematic emphasis on opposites attracting and our seeking our own way rather than fulfilling someone else’s dreams. Perhaps more of a dominant theme is the immigrant experience that shows the challenges of assimilation. Director Peter Sohn speaks of his Korean parents’ experience as the inspiration.
The linchpin of this typical Pixar piece is a world where the elements of earth, air, fire, and water peacefully co-exist if, for instance, the last two don’t mix. When water denizen Wade Ripple (voice of Mamoudou Athie) falls for fire Ember (Leah Lewis), and she eventually succumbs, the incompatible worlds collide. The multiple metaphors and ingenious twists for each element, e.g., fire family business is called “the Firehouse,” are a tribute to the imagination of Sohn and his creative crew.
The subtheme of parents’ expectations is almost as strong as the love theme. Ember’s dad expects her to take over his shop while she is reluctant to say she doesn’t want to. Her budding romance almost busts because of this conflict. Elements does a credible job of showing how difficult it is for loving children not to fulfill the dreams of doting parents. What is not lost is the need for us to govern our own futures and not cave to the demands of others.
Unlike other current movie dramas, especially animations like Spider-Man, Elements moves in a linear war with a plot that makes sense, even if it is predictable. Smaller children at my screening were restless, leading me to question if they should be 10 and beyond to appreciate the several themes; less than ten for a while will be distracted by the intricate city and explosive color.
In the end it is still Pixar, a gifted Disney enterprise that never forgets it’s all about the people.
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts NPR’s It’s Movie Time and hosts Cinema Classics as well as podcasts Back Talk and Double Take out of WCBE 90.5 FM. Contact him at JohnDeSando52@gmail.com
Elemental
Director: Peter Sohn (The Good Dinosaur)
Screenplay: John Hoberg et al.
Cast: Leah Lewis (The Half of It), Mamoudou Athie (Jurassic World: Dominion)
Run Time: 1h 49m
Rating: PG
