Opposites attract as a temperamental fire and weepy water find forbidden romance in a city segregated by physical composition. Pixar's Elemental addresses racism and xenophobia with spectacular CGI animation. An immigrant family receives a frosty welcome due to their fiery differences. They work hard, make a life for themselves, and become upstanding citizens among their own kind. An unexpected disaster at the family's treasured business leads to burgeoning love and a questioning of long-held beliefs. Elemental tickles the funny bone and tugs heartstrings with a lighthearted delivery. It will enchant children and adults but strikes at the heart of divisive issues roiling the country.
A steel boat arrives at the Element City docks with two weary passengers. The voyage from Fire Land was long and arduous for the pregnant couple. The immigration officer can't understand a word of their language. He brands them Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Ommi) Lumen on their identification papers. They stare in wonder at their marvelous new home. The excitement dissipates as no one will rent them a room. They burn the flowers of earth elements, evaporate water elements, and overheat air elements.
Bernie and Cinder discover a dilapidated building on the outskirts of Fire Town. They roll up their iron sleeves and make a home for themselves. Baby Ember (Clara Lin Ding) soon joins the family. Bernie opens a café and convenience store with pride. Sizzling coal nuggets and molten lava java become a Fire Town staple. The Lumens are a shining beacon of the immigrant community.
Ember Lumen's Explosive Temper
Years later, an aged Bernie looks forward to retiring. He can finally hand over the business to his precious daughter, but there's a catch. Ember (Leah Lewis) has a short fuse and explosive temper. She literally explodes in anger and causes chaos. Her scorching disposition does not sit well with the customers.
Bernie decides to give Ember a chance. She can run the store for a day during their yearly Red Dot sale. Ember promises her dad there won't be any problems. But the customers prove to be more than she can handle. A race to the basement to blow up cracks the pipes. Element City inspector Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) comes pouring out with his citation booklet. Ember fuses the leak but can't stop the wailing with guilt Wade from writing a bevy of tickets. He apologizes profusely, but the infractions are enough to close the business. A shocked Ember chases after Wade to stop him before her father finds out.
Elemental dazzles with eye-popping visuals that push the boundaries of CGI animation. The fire, water, and air elements are constantly moving withing their defined space. Ember flickers and glows but still retains her fetching shape. Wade squirts out of the pipe as liquid before shaping himself to anthropomorphic form. He cries like a bawling baby at the hint of any emotion. Water pours out his eyes much to Ember's consternation. Their chase through Element City is a visual effects marvel. You'll get a kick out of how the air elements power their mass transit balloons.
Bernie and Cinder's journey takes a historical page from immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, New York, in the late 1900s. Whole families were renamed and anglicized because their native language was ignored. Fire Town is reminiscent of the Five Points slums that held many of the impoverished. They faced constant discrimination but gained a foothold to the American dream through toil and grit. Their treatment molded Bernie's prejudiced views of the other elements.
A Smitten Wade Ripple
Wade is instantly smitten by Ember's vivacious looks and personality. She's literally hot stuff. Ember's tough countenance is softened with kindness. Wade's sweet nature and understanding disposition melts away her barriers to connection. But the idea of fire and water mixing seems impossible. Physics dictates that these two states of matter cannot mix without destroying each other. Elemental tackles this thorny problem with a truly clever solution. The film is an allegory for overcoming differences in any situation. Love's unifying force bridges the gaps that separate us.
Elemental also depicts a lesbian couple in Wade's family. The film embraces diversity and inclusion for all. These themes have become hot-button issues in a charged political atmosphere. Some may view Elemental as indoctrinating propaganda for interracial relationships and alternative lifestyles, but sincerely, this shouldn't become a rallying cry against moral turpitude. That's not the case at all and shouldn't be interpreted as such.
Elemental will have audiences laughing and crying before the first frame. Pixar prefaces with a new short starring Carl and Dug from Up. Break out the hankies as Dug helps Carl prepare for his first date since Ellie's passing.
Elemental is a production of Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios. It will have a June 16th theatrical release from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
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