After its debut with Toy Story in 1995, Pixar released its 27th feature with another original story. I have to admit that though I’ve been a longtime Pixar fan, I wasn’t all that enthused about this one after the disappointing Lightyear. But I’m glad that Elemental turns out to be a return to form for its richly layered, emotional storytelling and visually innovative animation. What I didn’t realize from its marketing was that Elemental is an immigration story, which is immediately apparent from its opening sequence where a ‘fire’ couple the Lumens arrives in Element City, a melting pot metropolis clearly modeled after NYC where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together.

I was dazzled by the bustling, vibrant, colorful world of the city, which depicts the unique characteristics of its elemental residents (a metaphor for diverse human ethnic groups) and how some of them don’t mix, at least not initially. The Lumens aren’t exactly welcome by the city, having their doors shut in their faces, but they finally find themselves a place to call home with their newborn daughter Ember and later open a convenience store called the Fireplace. Fast forward years later, Ember (Leah Lewis) is poised to take over the store, but her dad (Ronnie Del Carmen) constantly reminds her that she still needs to control her temper which can be destructive, literally. 

I immediately love Ember with her vivacious, hot-tempered personality. She was so excited when her dad finally allows her to run the shop on her own but during one violent outburst, she accidentally broke a pipe in her basement, and Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), a water elemental who works as an inspector from the City. As Wade rapidly heads back to City Hall to report the plumbing issue, Ember runs in pursuit and gets to experience the city like never before. Ember rarely ventures out of her neighborhood because of her overprotective parents, so she’s constantly on edge, while Wade is more of a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. It was fun to see the contrasting personalities interact with one another, though predictably they’re destined for each other.

Written by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh, Elemental is essentially a love story featuring the tried-and-true formula of opposites attract and star-crossed lovers. Pixar’s first rom-com tells a familiar story with predictable elements, but it proves that a tale as old as time can still spark when told in a refreshingly creative way. While there are recognizable common tropes, I’m glad the writers refrain from including clichéd characters such as the wisecracking best friend or unnecessary antagonist.

Apparently, the immigrant story aspect is inspired by the film’s director Peter Sohn’s own life. Sohn, who had directed The Good Dinosaur as well as done a few voice work for Pixar/Disney, was raised by Korean immigrants who immigrated to the US in the early 70s and opened a grocery store in the Bronx. It’s clearly a personal story for him and the team behind this movie, and it shows.

I love the unique visuals where the characters look and move differently from those in previous Pixar movies. The character design is delightful with huge expressive eyes. The action scenes, from a thrilling chase across the city to a romantic underwater journey are wonderful to look at, so I’m glad I saw this on the big screen. The sports event at the Cyclone Stadium where Wade summons the audience ‘wave’ is such a hoot, and my favorite scene is when Wade takes Ember underwater to Garden Central Station to see Vivisteria flowers. It’s followed by a romantic moment that’s beautifully realized and genuinely moving.

Though there are no big stars doing the voice work in Elementals, the cast did an excellent job. Besides Lewis and Athie as the leads, the other standouts are Catherine O’Hara as Brook Ripple, Wade’s welcoming mom, and Wendi McLendon-Covey as Gale Cumulus, Wade’s air-element boss. The movie also touches upon a bit of the class structure of Element City, as the Lumens have working-class background while the Ripples are from upper-class society and live in a luxury apartment building.

I read that Pixar had to upgrade its computers to accommodate the tremendous computing power the project requires to render those 3D scenes. For comparison sake, Elemental used 151,000 cores while Toy Story had merely 294 cores, Monsters Inc. 672 cores, and Finding Nemo had 923 cores. [mindblown] But all of that state-of-the-art technology would’ve been a waste if there wasn’t a strong narrative at its core. Elemental makes good of that groundbreaking visual effects with its charming, sincere, heartfelt, and relatable story about forging connections with those who are different from us and bridging that gap through empathy.

I just saw a huge animated blockbuster based on a popular video game days before seeing this and while the visuals are pure eye candy, the story has no emotional resonance at all. What truly sets Pixar movies apart is that it offers a feast for the senses as well as the heart and mind. The story is decidedly more mature and tailored for adults, but young kids would surely enjoy the lively animation. Elemental fuses stunning animation and a potent emotional story that provides insights into human nature. It made me laugh, cry, and in complete awe of the beauty and power of storytelling.

Have you seen ELEMENTAL? I’d love to hear what you think!

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