I’ve been a fan of Pixar for a long time. Like most people my age, I grew up with their films and was obsessed with “The Incredibles” as a kid. I’ve seen “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters, Inc.” more times than I can count and “Ratatouille” still goes as hard as the first time I saw it.
I hold a ton of respect for the studio and their stellar work in animation. They’ve consistently pushed the boundaries of what the medium can do since their first feature film. Their work is more realistic, dynamic and artful than almost any other studio’s.
Unfortunately, their newest film, “Elemental,” fails to hit the high standard they’ve set with their own success.
“Elemental” follows Ember Lumen, a fire person who lives in Element City with her immigrant parents. They run a convenience store in Firetown, which Ember is set to inherit once her father retires. After a series of mishaps, she’s forced to fight to save her family’s store and discover who she really is with Wade, a water person.
For what it’s worth, I think that “Elemental” shares a powerful message. You don’t have to follow in your parents’ footsteps, even if they did sacrifice a lot for you. You shouldn’t write off an entire group of people based off one bad experience, and you should appreciate what’s around you before it’s gone. I’ll admit, I got a bit misty-eyed at the end.
But that message is really all it has going for it. The elements – no pun intended – that make a truly impactful story are missing or diluted. There’s just something missing from the film.
Ember herself is a bit of an enigma. Although she drives the plot, she doesn’t have much of an internal conflict until nearly an hour in, where she’s introduced to a job opportunity in a field she presumably loves. At that point, she’s torn between her family obligations and her desire to get away. For a story that’s supposed to be hers, the film lacks a lot of her initial development.
And then there’s Element City itself. Element City doesn’t feel like an actual fantastical land. We don’t actually end up seeing a lot of it, which is detrimental to the overall worldbuilding.
There isn’t any special culture or feeling to the setting. Coming out of the movie, I didn’t feel like I knew much more about the city than I could have guessed coming in. It just seems like a stock-standard city location, which really sucks to see from the creative titan that is Pixar.
I was also disappointed in the character design. The incredibly cartoon-y look of the fire and water characters clashes horrendously with the hyper-realistic environments.
Some of the water looks like actual video footage – admittedly, incredibly impressive. But the water that makes up Wade and his family is stylized, which gave me whiplash. The fire people have this strange dark outline around them that looks, frankly, really cheap.
Unfortunately, I feel like I’ve seen “Elemental” before. It’s emotional, sweet and funny, but it doesn’t add anything new to the conversation. It’s the worst thing a Pixar film can be – unmemorable.
I don’t think it’s a huge surprise that “Elemental” didn’t live up to Pixar’s usual standard of excellence. Disney recently eliminated 75 positions from Pixar’s staff of 1,200, and I wouldn’t be shocked if there are more layoffs to come.
Animation takes time, effort and good people. Disney needs to understand that throwing away the people who make these films work won’t improve them – it’ll only harm them.
Despite all of that, there’s really one big reason that I didn’t like “Elemental” as much as I could have: I’m not a kid anymore. At this point in my life, I’ve started to care more about “plot structure” and “character design” than just sitting back and enjoying a day at the movies.
If you have a kid in your life whom you care about, I would recommend taking them to see “Elemental.” It may not be a perfect film, but it’s sure to make a splash. Pun entirely intended.
