Elemental review: “PIxar’s latest is sweet-natured but lacks depth”
The latest animation from Pixar takes us to Element City, a place where people of air, wind, fire and earth live together in harmony. Almost. The anthropomorphized “Blugs of Fire” are frowned upon, as Bernie (voiced by Ronnie Del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Ommi) soon discover upon arriving from their homeland. Renting an apartment is a big no-no when the landlords are all down-to-earth people who look like bushes and naturally see fire as a danger (“Dry leaves!” yells one before slamming the door in their faces).
Eventually, Bernie and Cinder settle outside of town in Fire Town, where they open a shop, Fireplace, selling all sorts of fire-themed paraphernalia (such as coal nuts made by Bernie). With that in mind, Elemental could have been an interesting study of the immigrant experience. But it soon transitions into a more conventional coming-of-age story: A few years later, Bernie and Cinder’s grown daughter Ember (Leah Lewis) finds herself ready to take over the shop… if it weren’t for the fact that she did would have a terrible temper (“Take a break, connect,” she keeps saying like a mantra).
With her father’s failing health, Ember feels compelled to run Fireplace without ever asking herself what she wants. Then, after an accident in the basement, she meets Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), a “merman” who is also a city inspector. He wants to close the shop for security reasons, but falls in love with Ember. “We can’t touch,” they exclaim as the film explores how these two characters, so opposite, can make it as a couple. Again, the film throws up notions of difference and barriers, yet one never really feels that the challenges Ember and Wade face are insurmountable.
Directed by Peter Sohn (“The Good Dinosaur”), “Elemental” features beautifully rendered imagery, most notably an underwater excursion to a rare flower. Vocally, Athie as Wade is a comic delight; As a character prone to tears, his flashback to a terrifying encounter with a sponge is a particular delight. And there are plenty of gags – including a game of tag played by two relatives, Marco and Polo (geddit?) in Wade’s wet home. Undoubtedly there’s a lot to like about “Elemental”, but one wishes it had gone further and deeper rather than tentatively exploring its themes.
Elemental hits UK theaters on July 7th and US theaters on June 16th. For more upcoming films, check out our 2023 theatrical release date breakdown.