MPAA Rating: PG/Genre: Computer Animated Romantic Comedy Drama/Voices of: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O’Hara, Mason Wertheimer, Ronobir Lahiri, Wilma Bonet, Joe Pera, Matt Yang King, Jeff LaPensee, Ben Morris, Jonathan Adams, Alex Kapp, P.L. Brown, Krysta Gonzales, Ava Kai Hauser, Maya Aoki Tuttle, Dylan Buccieri, Assaf Cohen, Jessica DiCicco, Terri Douglas, Karen Huie, Arif S. Kinchen, Austin Madison, Cole Massie, Scott Menville, Alisha Mullally, Fred Tatasciore, Kari Wahlgren, Secunda Wood/Runtime: 109 minutes
I think it is safe to say dear reader that when you manage to score for yourself a pair of consecutive Best Picture Oscar nods in 2009 and 2010 respectively, which were built off the backs of a collection of films that could all in their own distinct ways be described as cinematic gold incidentally, then the odds are definitely there that you have not only managed to give your fellow studios a daunting task to overcome. Rather, I think you have also managed to give yourself the same challenge. The reason I bring this up dear reader is because this is an issue that for a while now has been plaguing iconic animation studio powerhouse Pixar. Oh sure they have still managed to strike 24 karat cinematic gold in the time since then with such masterpieces to their name as Toy Story 4, Inside Out, or even Coco which definitely had me sniffling a bit and certainly more than I may or may not be willing to admit. At the same time though they have also been giving audiences a lot more in terms of good yet not great entries like 2021’s Luca and 2020’s Onward for example and even a head scratcher or two like 2011’s Cars 2 and 2015’s The Good Dinosaur. Incidentally, it is the last film I mentioned that is perhaps viewed by many as one of the lowest entries on the list since, for a studio that has managed to give modern audiences some of the most iconic stories of the past 3 decades (or thereabouts), this film was not even close to what people have come to expect from Pixar. Fortunately for the helmer on that one, a Peter Sohn, we see that time has healed that wound enough for Pixar to be willing to give him another shot and take the reins on their latest slice of cinema, and movie I am reviewing for you today incidentally, Elemental. Even more fortunate for Pixar is the fact that, upon seeing the finished product, I can safely say that giving him a second chance was definitely a wise decision. Sure, it’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination and no it’s not on the level of say Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Wall-E, or The Incredibles. At the same time though, and with the aid of skilled work on both sides of the camera, we see that this rather unique take on the old love story concept of “opposites attracting” manages to be a genuinely engaging and moving film that, in true blue Pixar fashion, won’t just prove itself capable of bringing some much-needed warmth to your heart, but also might even inspire you to shed some tears as well.
The plot is as follows: Elemental gets its narrative underway via a ship arriving to a far-off, yet quite similar in many respects, locale known as (get this) Element City. A city much like the one you or I are familiar with dear reader except for one main distinction. That being that it’s not humans who make up this city’s populace, but rather elements of nature. For our purposes though, we see that our guide through this new world is a young fire child named Ember who has just come to the city with her dad Bernie and mom Cinder in order to begin a new life for themselves. Yet, despite facing a fairly decent amount of backlash from the majority of the city’s denizens, due to said majority being of the aqua variety if you get my drift, we see that the family is able to succeed in not only putting down roots, but also in establishing a thriving business known as “The Fireplace”. Years later and we see that the now-grown up Ember is ready to be a spark off the ol’ cinder block and take the reins of the business over from her father. A task that we soon see might be easier said than done due in large part to our main heroine being in possession of a rather fiery temper that, when ignited, usually sends the customer responsible for igniting it running for the hills. As a result we see that, in the aftermath of a particular outburst of hers, yes water does make its way into the family’s shop courtesy of a broken pipe, but so does someone else. That being a rather emotional yet quite charming water guy (I guess) named Wade Ripple whose occupation of choice is as one of the city’s business inspectors and who, following a review of the family’s business, makes the professional recommendation to have it shut down post haste. However when Ember pleads with Wade to rethink his choice, he decides to do just that and instead help her however he can to keep her family’s business from smoldering if not extinguishing completely. A choice incidentally that will see our pair not only embark on an adventure across all of Elemental City, but also see this pair of elements who literally by the power of just straight up science 101 could not be more unalike even if they tried come to see that maybe just maybe there is a degree of compatibility with each other that they could never have imagined….
Now right off the wave (be it of the water or flame variety), it is worth noting that this slice of cinema actually is operating with a pair of distinct narratives. Those narratives being the story of the Lumens and their journey to find a better life as well as the ever-growing romance between our two heroes respectively. Yet rather then be totally disconnected from one another and thus throwing the movie from a narrative perspective into disarray we see that the stories actually manage to be linked up quite well due to not only the bias and prejudices had by the water and fire beings about each other, but also in the distinction between where our two heroes are placed in this society from an economic perspective. With that in mind though, the key element that helps the relationship between Wade and Ember operate as well as it does isn’t merely the fact that the film is utilizing the “opposites attract” trope best seen in countless Hallmark Christmas romance films. Rather, it’s also in how Wade really strives to motivate Ember to be who she wants to be beyond just the future runner of the family business that she is being gently yet firmly pushed into becoming. Suffice it to say that yes the romance narrative in this might be more than a tad bit predictable, but the fact that they could pair it with the narrative of Ember and her family trying to find their place in this world ensures that this film, from a story perspective, is able to showcase emotional points that it has been a minute since I’ve seen Pixar hit. Of course, I guess it is also no surprise to learn that (as par for the course) this slice of cinema manages to look absolutely incredible. I mean not only do the various locales to say nothing of the world the film is set in look majestic, but even the characters themselves are blessed by being so skillfully animated through an ingenious mix of 2 and 3D animation that they all manage to come alive right before our eyes. On top of that, praise should also be given to this slice of cinema’s production design team for their clever way of making every location fit the element that resides there be it Wade’s family apartment or the Fireplace just to name a few examples. Finally, it should also be noted that this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of a truly relaxing and feel-good musical accompaniment from Thomas Newman that helps to not only tug at your heartstrings, but also make you feel as whimsical as most of the proceedings onscreen. Now even though there are some puns in this that did make me raise an eyebrow to a fair extent due to how corny they were, the script also does a great job in other areas. Chief among those being the fact that this film chooses to not bring an external villain into the mix and instead keep the forces of friction on the inside. As a result, not only does this root the narrative, but it also gives the common thematic concepts to work their magic in an organic manner on movie goers of all ages. Suffice it to say that, despite a few hiccups here and there, the work done behind the camera on this film really does help not only to immerse audiences in the world of the film, but equally as important embrace the cast of characters at the heart of this in a way that only Pixar and one or two other animation studios have more or less been able to pull off time and time again.
Of course, the other big element that helps this slice of cinema become as good as it ultimately winds up being would have to be the work done in front of the camera by the immensely talented vocal cast in bringing their respective characters to life. This starts with Leah Lewis who, as our main heroine Amber, is absolutely fantastic. Indeed not only does she make this character easily one of the highlights of the entire film, but no matter what the scene or the material she is working with in said scene Lewis does an outstanding job at providing the film, and by extension her character, with a vital degree of heart and passion that both so desperately need in order to work on the level that they ultimately are able to accomplish. Suffice it to say it is a truly beautiful to say nothing of majestic performance and one that I hope leads to more exciting roles for the immensely talented actress who is at the heart of it. Matching her performance beat for beat is the one given by Mamoudou Athie in the role of ol’ water lug Wade. Indeed Athie for me was one of the breakout stars of last year’s final (?) entry in the Jurassic World trilogy and here he manages to show that his work in that film, quality of the overall product still very much up for debate, was no fluke. I mean not only does Athie provide this guy with just the right amount of bubbly positivity, but he also gives him an equal amount of heart, sincerity, and even empathy for others that combined all help to not only really showcase how genuine this guy, but also make this a really good performance from Athie….even if his constant crying throughout this did tend to get on my nerves more than just a wee bit. I also think praise should be given to both Ronnie del Carmen as well as Shila Ommi in their roles of Ember’s parents Bernie and Cinder respectively. Indeed whereas in a lot of movies like this these two roles would be strictly the one note of “the hard-nosed parent” and “the one that’s tough yet a bit more sympathetic than the other” that is not the case here. I say that because the performances given by Carmen and Omini really do a great job at really fleshing these two characters out to such an extent that yes they are operating with those archetypes to an extent, but you also understand why they act the way they do and there is growth afforded to both characters throughout the movie rather than just merely at the end because “it has to be there”. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in some terrific co-starring performances from such talents as the always delightful Catherine O’Hara who, as Wade’s mom Brook, is having a blast playing a better parent than Kate McAlister from Home Alone, Wendi McLendon-Covey from The Goldbergs who is brilliantly cast as Wade’s boss Gale, the hilarious Joe Perra, and the fantastic voice actor Jonathan Adams to name but a few of the support cast heard throughout this slice of cinema it’s clear that there might be some leaks in this film overall, but the work done by the cast of players in front of the camera is very much on fire and then some in the best way possible.
All in all and at the end of the day is Elemental going to be seen by anyone as the beginning of a new wave of mass critical as well as audience adoration of Pixar? Ehhhh honestly no not really. At the same time though, is this slice of cinema the one that will cause the entire studio and all that they have worked so hard to build over the years to go up in flames? Again, I definitely would say no on that front because hey if Cars 2 or The Good Dinosaur couldn’t do that then I must admit that there is truly hope for all of us. Indeed, if anything dear reader I would simply say that this one is a step in the right direction. To be sure, there are some issues that I had with this film especially the fact that the romance narrative in this was extremely predictable which, given the unique way in which you are presenting it to an audience, is more than just a wee bit on the problematic side. Having said that though, not only does this slice of cinema live up to the standards of a Pixar film behind the camera especially in terms of its animation which is (in true blue Pixar fashion) just downright gorgeous and majestic to behold, but the work done in front of the camera by this slice of cinema’s immensely talented vocal cast also proves to be terrific in bringing the film’s various and intriguingly multidimensional collection of characters fairly vividly to life. Suffice it to say then that Elemental might not be a giant tidal wave or a roaring inferno of a success, but it also is by no means a mere teeny tiny pond or a smoldering heap of ash by any stretch of the imagination either. Rather, it’s a fun and charming little movie that is sure to prove heartwarming and tear-jerking to you and the little puddles in your life time and time again. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Elemental “2023” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
