Elemental

By: Ilaria Masselli

Elemental is the new Pixar movie directed by Peter Sohn. What I expect from a Pixar movie is that specific familiar feeling to see something that you already know and is comforting. That is exactly what I found in this movie. Elemental is pleasant and perfect for families. Also, from a graphics point of view, we can find an extraordinary result as always.

Elemental takes place in Element City, where all the elements such as water, air, fire and Earth co-exist. The main character is Ember (Leah Lewis), a fire girl who works in her family shop. Her behavior does not allow to handle at her best the situations with customers in general and that is why her father (Ronnie Del Carmen) is still working with her. Everything changes when, after an accident caused by her, the shop is completely flooded. Here she meets Wade (Mamoudou Athie), a water boy, who works as an inspector to be sure that all buildings are up to code. The connection between Ember and Wade is impossible though because fire and water can’t touch each other.

As I said before, I think that the real strong point of this movie is the representation of characters. The design is wonderful, and you can see precisely how Pixar is good as always in this because they seem so real. It’s lovely to see how their color changes according to their mood. Also, I love every single scene between Wade and Ember: this deep connection and especially this huge need to touch each other that seems unattainable is like the compass of the entire movie where all the emotions are controlled and focused. It is a sweet tale of trying to manage this complicated, tender and funny love.

The movie is directed by Peter Sohn and is his second feature film with Pixar. Working with such an important film company can be a challenge, where all the effort is necessary to make a good product. One topic of this movie is immigration and is not explored enough, in my opinion. We see small flashes of this huge subject which is completely lost and covered in the story by perhaps too many actions scenes, albeit excellently rendered. I really would love to see more about this important argument especially in a movie for families and might help as a reason that would be easier to understand for everyone. The director could have taken advantage of this situation, but I really appreciate instead the introduction of a non-binary character, Lake (Ava Kai Hauser), who is the first one at Disney’s house.

I think that Elemental can be seen as a sort of comfort zone where Pixar doesn’t explore different horizons but simply re-kneads a series of ingredients whose flavor we already know. This is probably the time to do something more, to be brave and try to introduce something different, to be surprised. However, I do think that is a pleasant way to spend time with friends and family. And the most important thing this movie gives to everyone is the possibility to feel all the emotions. It’s not bad just for a moment to still feel young and especially to understand that love is possible even in the most difficult situations.