Elemental

Voices of: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O'Hara
Directed by: Peter Sohn
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2023

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In a city populated by different elements, a fire girl (Leah Lewis) enlists the help of a water person (Mamoudou Athie) to save her father's shop.

Review:

Tim: Pixar's last two films (Turning Red and Lightyear) both felt like major disappoints to me. So, Elemental should be praised for reversing that trend. While the film is clearly second-tier Pixar, it's at least a good film. I can't say I was overjoyed by anything in this movie and it has a number of flaws, but it's a solid, entertaining movie. In a different time, you could argue this was a disappointment, but relative to even worse movies, this film is a success.

The movie feels very much in Pixar's core wheelhouse- (what if elements had emotions?). The idea is stretching a bit, but it's clever in its own way. People are divided into the four elements (earth, wind, water, fire) and this is a stand-in for different cultural differences. There's a big city where people from each element interact. The story pulls in strong Romeo & Juliet vibes, as well. Now, I don't think all this is a brilliant premise by any stretch. However, it's admittedly clever. A lot of the appeal of this film is seeing how Pixar would generate this elemental world. The different ways this appears- whether it's sports teams, cuisine, family game night, or many others, is all quite interesting. I appreciate the exploration of what it might be like if elemental beings coexisted. Kids likely won't pick up on the nuances there, but it's enjoyable for adults.

That is the main appeal of the film, besides the absolutely gorgeous animation. The ability to craft characters who are always in flux- flames that are moving, water hair that is waving- the film is stunning to behold. The visuals are impressive and help pull us into this world. It allows us to immerse ourselves in it, because it's all so beautifully rendered. The visuals are top notch and a big reason why I enjoyed the movie.

The story itself is average. It borrows from many other sources and it never feels unique. The story of a girl who is pushed into taking over her father's shop, two people from different, clashing groups falling in love- we've seen all the broad strokes many times before. It's interesting, it felt like all the creative energy went into creating this world and there was nothing left over to tell a creative, unique story. I never really cared all that much about the characters. I saw what Pixar was trying to do, the message it was trying to tell, but it felt clumsy. I feel like kids will be wowed by the visuals but have no concept of what they were supposed to learn from the story. It feels lackluster and disappointing. In many ways, this story reminds me of the one in Luca- both are films that do enough right to be considered "good", but the stories elicit a collective shrug. Meh is how I felt about both.

The characters are actually fairly effective. Ember is a strong female protagonist, which I really appreciated. I'm sure "Ember" would be a fairly common name for a fire person daughter, but it actually fits really well. She is a complex character and I liked getting to know her at a deeper level. The fact that the movie becomes a love story felt like it cheapened her character some. I wanted to see less about her falling in love and more about her understanding herself better. Wade is great, too. It took me a while (too long) to get the gag about his name. He's definitely the opposite of Ember, but I found their friendship powerful and memorable (until, again, it becomes a generic love story). Their characters felt like there was enough depth to account for a sequel (honestly, I can't remember the last Pixar film that felt like it could support a sequel- definitely not Onward). I'd obviously hope for a much better story, but the characters work. Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie do outstanding voice work bringing those characters to life. I love that the movie didn't cast two big time actors in these roles. They were both truly perfect for voicing these characters.

Elemental is a good movie, I acknowledge that. However, it never feels special. It feels always like a lower tier effort. Pixar can do better than this. Still, I think we have to acknowledge the reality of the situation. Soul was a great film back in 2020 and it's been hit-or-miss since then. At least this is a (minor) success for the studio.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Inside Out, Soul, Brave, Luca