The voice actor and animator-turned-filmmaker Peter Sohn (“The Good Dinosaur”) has delivered his sophomore feature-length project, “Elemental.” The film is, unfortunately, a picture that demonstrates the highs and lows that the studio has to offer and what a Pixar film should and shouldn’t be. Although it contains a beautifully animated world with an abundance of nooks and crannies to explore in every corner, the film’s unconventional romance-comedy-inspired story fails to light the torch of its emotional core, leaving the audience in a state of wanting more.
Since the pandemic, the highly acclaimed and revolutionary animation studio Pixar hasn’t seen the best days. At one point, plenty of us thought that the company would collapse entirely. The studio unnecessarily dumped three features onto the Dinsey+ streaming platform — “Soul,” “Luca,” and “Turning Red” (one of the company’s best recent works) — to give the IP-driven “Lightyear” a big theatrical run. What happened next was that their plan fell flat, and everyone involved in that decision to make such a move ended with a palm in their face. The “Toy Story” prequel failed to grab the necessary cash to meet their standards, while the others had great success on the platform and praise from both critics and audiences.
A Tale as Old as Time
At the moment, it felt like Pixar was losing faith in theater success, opting for more direct involvement with streaming. Seeing a studio that brought us some of the most imaginative animated pictures go down like this was pretty depressing. Things have somewhat calmed down in terms of their thoughts on cinematic experiences. But, it still feels like Pixar needs new direction. Their projects need to head in new creative ways that we haven’t seen before. Their latest one, “Elemental,” has some intriguing adult-oriented concepts that they would search for older audiences rather than appealing to just children. However, plenty of drawbacks ruin the experience and the studio’s push to be at the top of the animation chain once again.
At the center of “Elemental,” there’s a story as old as time, for better or worse. Two polar opposite characters from opposing cultures slowly fall in love. Their connection helps ease the tension between the people they most cherish. We have seen that type of story thousands of times. But, intriguingly, Pixar has finally made a film mostly reliant on romance. It reminds you of movies like “Moonstruck,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” and “Amélie” with its wistfulness and desire-driven hopefulness. While I’m not that fond of rom-coms, I found Peter Sohn’s decision pretty enticing. The film follows two enemies turned star-crossed lovers, Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis, who delivers an excellent voice performance full of emotion and passion) and Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), a fire and water element, respectively. Their romance, albeit cliched, is palpable and occasionally charming.
Some Obvious Story Elements Harm ‘Elemental’ Some
The work by Lewis and Athie makes sure that the characters have great chemistry together, even though the narrative takes turns we could see from a mile away. Alongside the crisp animation, which we shouldn’t expect less from one of the top animation studios in the world, their voice performances are the best thing in the film. Their character’s emotion translates off the screen. Ember and Wade are deep in their familial and cultural struggles. Their bond gives the film an escapist feeling. It breathes life into this world where fire, water, earth, and air residents live alongside one another. These elements are not in complete union. This story, inspired by the director’s youth — growing up as the son of immigrants in New York City during the ’70s — shifts into a tale of ethnic diversity, cultural clashes, and acceptance.
The screenwriters deliver un-subtle metaphors to show the discrimination the fire elements face. It reached the point where they were sectioned into their own section in the city. By tackling this concept, it felt like this film would try to target an older demographic. But there are plenty of moments that call back to Disney’s “Zootopia.” It is impossible not to draw comparisons between the two. The dynamics between the characters and narrative development feel similar to the 2016 film at its core. This problem, in particular, isn’t bothersome per se. We have seen Pixar being inspired by some of their works to create future stories with other and more complex concepts. The issue within the narrative and its structure is that “Elemental” never develops its ideas or expands its world sufficiently.
A Film that Feels Too Familiar
In the grand scheme of things, you notice that there wasn’t anything noteworthy outside of the leading voice performances. It follows a formulaic storyline that makes it hard for the audience to care about what’s happening on-screen. There are sparks of emotion inside some of “Elemental’s” plot threads. Yet, it all feels way too similar to a less fetching degree, handled clumsily. You appreciate the story more so than you enjoy it. The delicate nuance that Pixar implants into its stories is always effervescent. And in this movie, you sense it via the detailed world and its inhabitants. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough of anything else. “Elemental” ends up as an unremarkable meet-cute story that could be a big success. If only there was only a bit of organization in its storytelling.
Currently, “Elemental” is only available to watch in theaters.
