Writer of Pop Culture

While love story elements has been played out before in previous Pixar films, Elemental is the studio’s first real romantic comedy. It is also one of Disney’s rare releases that isn’t based on a sequel or known property. Peter Sohn, who directed the underappreciated Pixar film, The Good Dinosaur, also directs this gem. And for a story that revolves around where different elements (fire, water, earth, etc.) live together, it surprisingly resembles our very real world where racism is still alive. It’s a gamble to say the least, but one that pays off handsomely. It’s one of Pixar’s best movies to come to theaters in a long time.

Elemental begins with a pair of “fire people” arrive on the movie’s version of Ellis Island having been forced from their homeland against their parents’ wishes. They don’t speak English and their names are difficult to spell, so they are re-named Bernie (Ronnie Del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Ommi). While they are amazed to see so many elements living in harmony in this new land, they soon learn that “fire people” are not very welcomed. However, they find a place to live in a rundown area of Fireland and open up a mom and pop store called The Fireplace and over time, they do pretty well for themselves with hopes that their young daughter, Ember will one day take over the family business “when she is ready.”

By the time that Ember is a teenager, she is chomping at the bit to run the store, but she is a bit of a hot head. The fiery redhead (voiced by Leah Lewis) doesn’t have the patience to deal with customers that her father has. On one particularly stressful day, Ember goes down to the basement to let off a little steam which causes some damage to the store and the appearance of a young city inspector. Wade (Mamoudou Athie) is the complete opposite of Ember; a real softie who tears up rather easily. He’s just like his mother Brook (Catherine O’Hara). While Wade is cool with fire people, Ember is wary of water people and for good reason. Growing up, Ember and her folks were not allowed in certain areas in town and some creatures taunted them to “Go back to Fireland.” Unfortunately, Wade has to report his findings of the shop to his cloudy boss Gale (Wendi McLendon-Covey) but agrees to help Ember plead her case.

As the story goes on, the Ember and Wade become friends and a spark begins. Ember is a very capable and creative woman but she is very tightly wound. Wade on the other hand has great empathy and can literally get a crowd going with “the wave” at a sporting event. But this is a crazy idea. Fire and water don’t mix. One cancels out the other. It’s a pretty clever concept that eventually bends the rules of chemistry to make the love story play out.

While Ember and Wade have to pretend that Wade is actually a food inspector when in the presence of Bernie and Cinder, Wade’s family welcomes Ember with open arms. It would have been fun to see more interactions with the other elements in town, but this story is centered on this odd couple.

Elemental has a lot going for it. It’s colorful, has great storyline and dances around some tricky issues without getting preachy. Racism is present in the film, but not so much that it takes over the story. It presents some easy discussion starters for parents on the way home from the theater. In addition, there are messages about honoring one’s family while seeking out your own path in life and taking care of others. And in the great tradition of Pixar films, there are a few moments where you’ll cry like Wade.

A hilarious brand new Dug Days short (based on Pixar’s UP and one of Ed Asner’s last roles), called Carl’s Date, makes for a great lead-in with Dug giving dating advice for Carl who hasn’t dated since the passing of his childhood sweetheart Ellie. (We know that she would understand). It ends on a touching note.

At my screening of Elemental, we were handed 3D glasses, but they didn’t seem to enhance the movie any, so if there is an additional charge at your theater, I’d skip it.