Elemental Review – Flashy, Kinda Basic, But Fun in Parts
“Sorry, Buddy, elements don’t mix!“
Ember is a fire girl, Wade is a water boy, raised in different worlds, the two are drawn towards each other, but fire and water aren’t supposed to mix. So what happens?
Created by Peter Sohn, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh, the 2023 Disney-Pixar movie is set in a unique fantasy world where elements like water, air, fire, and earth live like humans. The film begins with a fire couple called Bernie and Cinder arriving in the big city and facing difficulty renting a place because they aren’t welcome as outsiders. Thus, from the very first minute, the film establishes itself as a metaphorical story about immigrants arriving in big cities like New York for a better life and facing discrimination and prejudice. Bernie runs a grocery shop, with his daughter Ember aiming to inherit it one day. However, when city inspector Wade—a water creature—accidentally discovers multiple violations on the premises, Ember embarks on a mission to save her father’s shop from closure.
Wade turns out to be a wealthy, cheerful young man who cries a lot, but it’s supposed to be a healthy sign for water creatures— their waterworks are always ready. Wade is always ready to cry at the drop of a hat, and ironically, the crying scenes in the film were the funniest. Meanwhile, Bernie is portrayed as a fiery, short-tempered beautiful girl, initially appearing super excited to inherit the family business. However, she suddenly declares it’s not what she wants. It’s okay for her to change her mind, the creators fail to convincingly develop this change of heart in the story.
While the designs for the elemental creatures are pretty basic, the animation shines best in creating a flashy, colorful world that looks like a mash of magical mythical cities from various cultures mixed with modern aesthetics. The result is a giddily flashy, colorful utopia, which, if the palette were any brighter, might maybe burn your eyes.
The whole “elements as humans” plot is quite original and fun, and parts of the movie are very entertaining and cute. However, overall, there’s just something that doesn’t feel quite fantastical about the story, despite the very obvious fantasy elements. The background music is distinctly Indian in several sections, with tabla beats standing out. However, a lot of soothing western pop tunes also run through the film; sometimes the music heightens a particular scene, other times it just feels random.
In the end, Ember and Wade have a very typical story – two people from different worlds who aren’t supposed to get along, but they fall in love anyway. Overall, “Elemental” is a cutesy animated film, with a very basic plot, but super flashy animation.
Rating: 6 on 10. You can watch “Elemental” on Disney Plus.
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