Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Pixar has long been the benchmark to which all other animated movies have strived to reach. But if I'm being honest, it's been a while since I've seen a Pixar movie that made me feel like I had experienced something truly wondrous.
Luca was wonderful in so many ways, but would I watch it time and time again like I have the Toy Story films, or The Incredibles? I can't say I would. Turning Red , Lightyear and Strange World? I've only seen one of those (Turning Red) and while Lightyear divided audiences, I haven't even heard of Strange World and I personally don't know anyone who has.
What does this button do?
All this paints a picture of a studio that may have lost that uniqueness that once made it so special. So, the main question going into Elemental was, did Pixar find its spark back or was this to be another watered-down outing?
Elemental is set in a world where natural elements live. Think Zootopia but with earth, fire, water, and air instead of anthropomorphic animals. The story starts out with the journey of two immigrants from Fireland arriving in a New York-styled city where elements like Air and Water are the upper-class denizens (the city is built with high rise slides and water ways designed to make their lives easier). Earth, represented mostly by trees, are the middle class and Fire beings, who are seen as dangerous, are relegated to the lower parts of the city.
Hot stuff comin' through!
Besides the class divides it's also obvious Fire is meant to represent anyone who is…how do I say this…ethnic. The community is made up of characters who speak a language that sounds like a mix of Latin, Italian, Middle Eastern and even Asian. I would go as far as to say this is the least subtle allegory Pixar has ever come up with. Anyways, said Firefolk give birth to a baby girl who grows up and becomes their hot-tempered daughter Ember (Leah Lewis of The Half of It, CW's Nancy Drew). Ember is training to take over her father's store, but she starts to question her plans and open herself up to what seems like impossible goals after she meets Wade, a water elemental who wears his heart on his sleeve.
"Elements don't mix" is supposed to be the main hurdle here. I'm no scientist but I don't think Pixar thought this tagline through, so unlike movies where toys come to life I found it a bit difficult to put aside logic and just embrace this clumsy metaphor. Visually the movie holds up to the standards audiences come to expect from this studio with beautiful scenes that encapsulate the elements (especially the scenes that merge them together). The chemistry between the lead characters works as well as the emotional bits between Ember and her family. That said, Elemental really doesn't do anything we haven't seen before in a dozen other animated movies.
Well, he keeps things cool and I spice things up. We really balance each other out
With what feels like a checklist being run through, we get cliches like Ember and Wade not hitting it off when they first meet, only to get closer as they learn more about each other, secrets revealed and a misunderstanding pulling them apart only for a major climatic event bringing them together. There's even a scene that plays out like the scene in Beauty and the Beast where she declares her love for him right as he's about to die. Nothing here feels "special" or rises to the level we've come to expect from Pixar and I can't help but wonder if Disney buying the company ultimately handicapped the creative people that once brought us gems like Up.
Now I'm not saying Elemental is a bad outing; as animated movies go it's fine. But "fine" is hard to dismiss when Dreamworks Animation is giving us stellar movies like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and even Netflix of all studios delivered The Sea Beast. Both did a better job of world building and gave audiences stories that took a fresh approach to established tropes without feeling lazy.
If I could reach, farther, just for one moment touch the sky, for that one moment in my life,,,
One can only hope Pixar has not lost their magic touch and hopefully their upcoming projects Eilo and Inside Out 2 will once again leave us in awe of what this animated powerhouse is capable of.
Sommer's Score: 6.5 out of 10
Have you seen Elemental? What did you think of it? And you can check out more animated film content below:
PIXAR'S LUCA: A FISHY TALE OF FREEDOM AND FRIENDSHIP
TURNING RED IS PIXAR OF A DIFFERENT COLOUR
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH IS A DREAM OF AN ANIMATED ADVENTURE
THE SEA BEAST IS WORTH MAKING WAVES ABOUT
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I'll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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