Elemental

HOT TAKE: Elemental is amazing. Yes, pun intended but I'm so serious here, folks; this was very done and I urge you to give it a fair shot. Elemental is a modern yet fantastical odyssey of romance and self-realization clashing with the weight of ethnic and generational expectations. A colorful and cultural onslaught of imagination, relatability and sentiment, tailored by two endearing leads with irresistible chemistry.

I'm usually not one for romcoms but if the leads are engaging enough, then I'm sold. Ember and Wade - voiced by fresh talent Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie, respectively - share a captivating journey together, one that isn't just focused on love but puts their humanity in a binding spotlight. Their relationship flows oh-so naturally and is 10x more enchanting than any prince and princess story. You know that scene from WALL-E where the robots dance outside the spaceship? Almost the entirety of Elemental follows that one gorgeous sequence's beat and it's utterly charming.

The animation is quite stunning to behold; fluid, expressive and diverse. I can tell Pixar had so much fun with it while pushing the envelope; such a delight to watch. The world drips with inventiveness and attention to detail; I wouldn't pass on living in Element City. I can't leave out Thomas Newman's music, too. This is the composer's fourth collaboration with Pixar (the first since Finding Dory) and his score doesn't disappoint; lovely, often hypnotizing, and always hits the right notes.

Elemental is one of the most soulful and compassionate pictures to come out of Pixar in recent years and it's getting such a bum rap for no good reason. Look, it may seem familiar on the surface but - as expected from the studio that pioneered the art form and tells personal stories - Elemental is built from real relationships and social conflicts and has moving answers to questions on affection, immigration, pressure, sacrifice, and free will. Prepare for some sniffles and tears. I felt the love that was put into it every second and that standing ovation at Cannes was well-earned.

Congrats, Peter Sohn. Thanks for telling your story.

Elemental

This tells the story of a water element and fire element falling in love; Elemental is a fresh spin on the opposites attract love story.

Themes of racial prejudice, systemic segregation, immigration and parental expectations are explored.

The biggest praise Elemental has is its leads. They're very distinct (not that surprising, seeing as they are different elements), and memorable; their love story is also told brilliantly. The relationship between the female lead and her father is also poignant, and drives the story and the decisions she takes, which ultimately provides a brilliant story arc for her character.

The animation of Elemental is rich and vibrant. The score is also great.

Elemental is sweet, funny and heartfelt (it drew a tear from me).

8.5-9/10.

Elemental has several obvious glaring problems. For one thing, the attempt to make the elements' differences an overt metaphor for race/culture is shallow and misplaced at best most of the time.

The story's themes and plot itself are about as worn-out and tired as the art of the story itself. Not a single new idea is really explored at this level.

And, at the more surface level, the film's visuals vary greatly in quality: the environments are gorgeous, colorful, and vibrant, while the character designs appear haphazard, thrown together, and honestly kind of ugly.

But where this film shines-and I mean REALLY shines, surprisingly-is in the writing of its characters.

Ember and Wade are instantly distinct, understood, and likeable. They both grow tremendously and at a consistent pace. They are 110% the reason to see this film. I got emotionally wrapped up in their lives and desires in a way that I've only felt in Pixar's best films. This is the sole great achievement of Elemental.

The one other thing I can praise is the sound design and the musical score-both of which are largely powerful and memorable.

Maybe it's that my expectations were on the floor going into this, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Maybe wait to catch it on streaming, but don't write it off completely.

Visually the animation was really good. Literally Elemental was brilliant to watch. Also, have to admit that I was not expecting much from a movie about fire and water falling in love. Disney has always made movies for children in which they teach them to do whatever their heart desire through the story of a creature or an object that really should not or can't change it spots. Now they've picked the elements.

Elemental has more in-depth story about Immigrants I was not expecting in a Disney/Pixar movie. It was not hidden at all. Neither was the romance between fire and Ice which I was very different for these movies.

It was so different from what I expected, and it was refreshing.

This is the Pixar I know. I knew what kind of a story Elemental was going to be. From the IMDb plot and the reviews, I knew the cliches it would have and the route it will take. But this movie still really touched me.

I was really surprised by how well they executed the romance. And I'm surprised by the fact that Pixar made just a love story. I knew there was going to be romance in this but I thought, like most pixar movies, the main theme of this movie would be something else and the romance would progress on the sidelines. But no, the romance takes center stage in this film.

The main character, Ember, was very well written. She was likeable, relatable, and we as viewers experienced the entire story through her perspective. In comparison to Ember though, the side characters aren't as well explored as she is and that's the aspect of the movie that could've been a bit better.

But the romance is very good, honestly. It doesn't fit at first and feels a bit forced initially. That's why the 1st act of the movie isn't really as engaging. But the romance is paced perfectly. Because when these 2 characters started understanding more and more about each other, I started to really root for them and that's when this movie started to get really good. Amd the conclusion of the movie is very satisfying because of how well the romance is executed. The soundtrack too was very catchy and it worked perfectly with some specific moments of the film.

The theme though is cliche and it could have been done better. And the character of wade too could have been explored a bit more.

But in the end, I had a really nice time with this movie. You know, when a character is crying, and you just can't help but feel like crying yourself, that's when you know the movie has done its job.

Pixar had lost its way lately, but this film might get them back on track. This was a very sweet and wonderfully executed romance.