Elemental is the latest existential experiment from Pixar who, notoriously, have found a great deal of success in their therapy session films peddling themes of death, resurrection, generational trauma, and emotional maturity into digestible, high-concept animation. This time, it’s a microcosm for the immigrant experience and the diaspora of cultures coming to the US… AND a love story in the most uncanny of circumstances.
Element City is the hot-ticket metropolis in Elemental, a melting pot of culture and diversity where the four elements – earth, air, water, and fire – reside. Perhaps harmoniously is not the right word though as there’s a bigoted apprehension towards other elements, especially Fire. Ember (Leah Lewis) and her family are comfortably tucked away in their own little corner of town where they run their fire-adjacent grocery store The Fireplace for the local Fire community. But when Ember falls for happy-go-lucky, sop-fest water element Wade (Mamoudou Athie), she realises there’s more to her and Element City than she first thought.
It’s the classic Romeo and Juliet forbidden love, straight-to-TV Hallmark movie trope about the suburban girl falling in love with the big-city boy from the 90s and early 2000s. It’s well-trodden territory but the classic Pixar traits and abstract world-building infuse the premise with a much-needed dose of contemporary magic; it’s somewhat baffling that it has taken this long for the studio to make a full-blown rom-com but it is just as delightful as you’d hope it would be from the House of Mouse. The dynamic between Wade and Ember is heartfelt and the script takes its time in letting the romance build. The ordinariness is easily when the film is at its best, as they’re slowly more and more enchanted by the other’s quirks and habits – a mid-point montage of the pair scuba-diving that plays out solely to Thomas Newman’s soaring score is amongst the best scenes of the year. It echoes the sensibilities that made Pixar films such household instalments in the first place: expressive, visual storytelling. Wall-E and Eva dancing through space; Emily falling out of love with Jessie in Toy Story 2; the ‘Married Life’ opening in Up.
Recently, with the calibre of animated films studios have been delivering (Spider-Verses, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio), it’s easy to be overly critical of Pixar’s recent slate because it hasn’t been as up to scratch – mostly relegated to streaming too. But their films are nothing if not consistent and they’ve been on a comfortable streak for a few years now even if it may not reach the heights of their heyday. Elemental is more of the same: its thematic and allegorical ideas of race and immigration are fairly surface-level and you can’t help but feel like it could – and should – go deeper than it does but it’s nonetheless a crucial message for children to see and it’s still done pretty well here. For those that can relate to the Lumens (whether it’s similar to their own story or their family’s), it’s an especially moving portrait of the prejudice and uncertainty that can come with displacement. It’s all anchored by the gorgeous animation we’d expect from Pixar too, blending the various styles of the elements seamlessly and using colour and texture in such a meticulous and eye-popping way.
Their golden age may be behind them and Elemental likely won’t be ranking near the top of anyone’s Pixar lists. But the saccharine-sweet, starry-eyed take on society and love feel sorely needed. As a romantic comedy alone, the film delivers a textured, tactile relationship between its leads that’s probably more tender, effective, and human than any major studio rom-com in some time. Animation is at its best as a mirror held up to the best and worst parts of ourselves and Elemental’s romance is a deft reminder there’s love out there and it’ll often find us when we least expect it.
Elemental
Summary
As a romantic comedy alone, the film delivers a textured, tactile relationship between its leads that’s probably more tender, effective, and human than any major studio rom-com in some time.
Elemental is released in cinemas on 7th July.
