Pixar has always been at the forefront of animation, but lately, most of their recent films go straight to streaming on Disney+ instead of being major theatrical releases due to the global pandemic, which made their releases feel less monumental.
Back in the early 2000s, each Pixar film was a cinematic event that audiences could look forward to. From the environmental-focused Wall-E to the French cooking antics of Ratatouille, Pixar was also not afraid to play around with different genres and settings.
That’s not to say that Pixar has lost that touch at all, as their past few outputs have been outstanding on their own. Soul was a jazzy odyssey through life, Luca was a literal fish-outof-water story, and Turning Red told an authentic Asian-focused story.
Following this trend of Hollywood’s highlighting of Asian stories is Elemental, which tells an East meets West story with a twist as it is set in a world where the primal elements of the world: fire, water, air, and earth are all living and breathing people. Let’s examine the things that make Elemental special.
Pixar Pedigree
Elemental begins with Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose life takes a turn when she encounters a fun and sappy water guy named Wade. As love blossoms between the two, Wade challenges Ember’s beliefs about the world they live in.
With Ember’s parents being immigrants to Element City, they’ve had to work hard at their humble bodega, which Ember is expected to take over once her parents retire. Wade, on the other hand, comes from a more affluent and connected family.
There’s also the underlying prejudices of fire people in the city, with their more destructive and reactive bodies becoming a problem as the elements clash in day-to-day life. The fact that these elements, especially Ember and Wade, manage to co-exist is the cornerstone of Elemental.
In terms of its world and character design, this is one of Pixar’s most vibrant yet, with these corporeal elements living and breathing in a world created for them. The air people can flow and grow like the wind, while the earth people are sturdier and are the perfect vessels for vegetation to grow on them.
Reality in Motion
Director Peter Sohn has been forthright on the influences of Elemental, with Sohn being the son of Korean immigrants in the United States. Elemental is both a homage to his parents’ experience and a reflection of what many families face.
So while being a romantic comedy, Elemental uses its fantastical world to tell a down-to-earth story, one of societal strife. It doesn’t have a villain that is plotting the downfall of the fire people but is more interested in showing audiences how society can learn from one another.
This aspect is a lot like Zootopia’s depiction of carnivores and herbivores, albeit without the conspiracies underlying that plotline. The third act’s threat of a massive flood also reminds us of Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, which similarly used a flood to highlight the struggles of the downtrodden.
Fire and water are the most natural opposing forces, so pitting the two together in the form of Ember and Wade’s relationship is also great to see. Both characters are clearly trying to make things work against all odds, with the struggle shown clearly through the character’s body composition and chemistry.
New Frontier
Funnily enough, Pixar has never done a romantic comedy until Elemental. The studio has done amazing work in other genres, from The Incredibles’ 60s-era superhero caper and Coco’s musical stylings, so it was about time they focused solely on romance and relationships.
Another core aspect is the very Asian notions of responsibility and paying back one’s parents for their sacrifices, told through Ember’s struggle between choosing her passions and taking over the family business. It’s something that Wade doesn’t understand, a clear battle between Eastern and Western cultural and familial ideologies.
While longtime Pixar fans might think that Elemental’s core plot is simplistic, it is this more layered structure that makes it all the more compelling. It may follow the typical rom-com formula, but it tells a more nuanced story than one might expect.
It is truly a marvellous film, and we hope to see more of Peter Sohn’s directing skills from here on out. Who knows what other genre surprises Pixar has to offer in the future, but for now, Elemental belongs in their revered pantheon of films.
