Elemental: Movie Review

Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Catherine O'Hara

Director: Peter Sohn

Pixar animation is at its best when its themes are its most relatable. and its unique take on the familiar heartfelt.

So it's somewhat disappointing to say that Elemental takes a familiar concept of a couple from two different lives connecting and does little knew with it - despite some spritely animation and some flashes of vibrant visual genius.

With its message of burn your light bright no matter what, Elemental is a mix of an immigration story and racial segregation as it centres on Ember (Lewis), the daughter of two fire elements who've moved to Element City for a new life.

Despite her father's prejudices against others that are not his kind, the family has been burning a life for themselves in FireTown, where they run the local store, servicing their community. As Ember is groomed to take over the store, she begins to realise she can't keep her temper in check, threatening her future. Things are further complicated when local city inspector and Water element creature Wade (Mamoudou) threatens to close down the shop for violations.

Determined to ensure the family legacy, Ember embarks on a quest to stop Wade from filing his complaints at city hall. But as the pair slowly bond despite their differences, a threat emerges to Fire Town that could literally snuff them all out.

Overcoming prejudice, following your own light burning within and immigration racism all meld together for a sweet and occasionally slight love story in Elemental.

It's not that the Pixar latest fails, more that it stumbles quietly on its somewhat overlong path to its denouement. There's a nagging feeling that even over the 100 minute run time, there's a sagginess which can't be shaken from writing that forgets the pep in its step and sacrifices the early zing for something a little more hoary and familiar.

There's no denying Elemental's heart, but despite some vibrant animation and some clever sight gags throughout, there's nothing truly memorable about Pixar's latest, and its messages, while all very well-intentioned, are too obvious and too unexplored to be truly deep and meaningful.

While that perhaps is a sign of the times, and maybe overt racism needs to be called out more these days isn't really up for debate - but whereas the likes of Zootopia and Inside Out explored many similar themes, Elemental takes the same tropes and frustratingly does little new with them.

Perfectly pleasant it may be, and perhaps the world-building would indicate Pixar shorts will be delving back in again in the future, but ultimately Elemental is less a whole, more a sum of its parts. It's frustrating because there is real potential for this world, which is wonderfully realised and beautifully executed.

What emerges though is something sweet and sadly slight, but ultimately not as memorable or emotionally involving as a new Pixar film should be.

Worth catching beforehand though is the short Pixar film, Carl's Date which is a sweetly positioned tale of love later in life, of betrayal of those who've passed and of course, features the return of the lovable but dim dog Dug.