Image courtesy of IMDb
Hello, everyone. I know this is pretty much last-minute, but there were a couple more reviews I wanted to put up before the end of the year, and this was one of them.
I had been looking forward to this going into this year. Unfortunately, I was unable to fit it in while it was in theaters, something I regret even more now.
Even so, I knew I had to fit it in before the year ended, so I fired up Disney+ (no pun intended, and this movie has a fair amount of them) and I finally saw it… and I am so glad I did.
It also turns out this is my first time reviewing a Pixar movie, which happens to be their latest.
If you couldn’t tell by the hint I gave last time, this does indeed do something better than M. Night Shyamalan ever did, and that is portray the elements in a believable way.
Folks, prepare for something that while it’s not quite groundbreaking, it is still a solid choice for a family movie night, as I present my review of Elemental... and try to keep my puns to a minimum while doing it.
The story is set in Element City, which inhabits different areas occupied by the four elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth.
Ember Lumen is a fire element that works at her family’s shop in Fire Town. Her father Bernie is planning to retire and pass ownership to her once she’s ready. One day, he gives her that chance, but her temper flares up so much that she breaks a water pipe.
The basement begins flooding, and water element Wade Ripple arrives. Unfortunately for the Lumens, he’s a city inspector, and it’s not long before the order is sent off to shut them down.
It’s also not long before a bigger conflict emerges, but in between, Ember and Wade slowly discover they have more in common than they thought.
What Worked: First of all, it being Pixar, one thing to expect right off the bat is for the animation to be great.
This is some of the best animation from them I’ve seen in years. This is one of those movies that has “visually stunning” all over it. Not only is it elaborately bright and colorful, it is gorgeous.
Every area of Element City feels distinct, and there are some very clever ways they address the properties and weaknesses of each element.
It also benefits from the humor. While there are puns, it’s the overall charm of the movie that makes them work. With a lesser script, they would’ve been obnoxious and lazy.
The funniest parts for me were actually how it utilizes the rom-com tropes (this is partially a romantic comedy), and even though I personally am not a fan of that genre as a whole, it worked because it felt so organic to me.
The heart of the movie, however, comes from the voice acting. The chemistry feels genuine between Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie, who voice Ember and Wade, respectively.
Another standout was Ronnie del Carmen*, who voices Bernie. You don’t like his demeanor at first, but you understand why he feels the way he does (more on that in a second), and del Carmen conveys that very well.
You also get some great performances from Wendi McLendon-Covey as Gale (an air element serving as Wade’s boss) and Catherine O’Hara as Brook Ripple, Wade’s Mom.
There are at least two scenes where you notice another thing Pixar is known for. They’re known for incorporating heavy themes in their films, and you definitely feel that here.
The biggest one is how it touches on xenophobia and racism, and it’s not a heavy-handed message, it’s subtle. It’s part of the narrative, and that’s it.
Everything is elevated through Peter Sohn’s direction and especially Thomas Newman’s fantastic score**. You definitely feel Sohn’s passion for this in his direction, because this was also somewhat personal to him.
What Didn’t Work: This was more of a nitpick for me, but it does a couple of rom-com tropes that I’m really not a fan of, and those moments were kind of predictable, but that’s really it.
Overall: Elemental is an animated movie that I’m glad actually did get more attention while it was in theaters, and I’m just as glad that I saw it before the year ended.
With top-notch animation, fantastic voice acting, and great storytelling, it’s some of the best animation I saw this year.
While not quite as good as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (in time, that review will come), I did like it more than Wish (which as divisive as it unfortunately was, I personally loved; I also plan to review that sometime), and it’s still among my favorites of 2023.
If you missed out on this while it was in theaters like I did, it’s on physical media, Digital, and on Disney+, so either way, it’s right there for you, and absolutely give it a watch.
Next time, we go from a movie where elements come alive to a movie that literally shows how actions really do speak louder than words.
*Who has actually worked with Pixar in some capacity since Finding Nemo.
**I also wanted to mention that the song “Steal the Show” by Lauv is really good as well, I just couldn’t find a way to incorporate it within the review.