For their first original theatrical release since “Onward,” Pixar is attempting to step out of their element, so to speak, with “Elemental.” Billed as the studio’s first romance story and mixing in aspects of writer/director Peter Sohn’s (“The Good Dinosaur,” “Partly Cloudy”) immigrant upbringing in New York City, the latest from the studio manages to be another heartwarming (pun entirely intended) tale.
The film follows Ember Lumen, voiced by Leah Lewis (“The Half of It,” “Nancy Drew (2019)”), living in Element City, a city where the four elements, air, water, fire, and earth, all live together. She works to help keep her family’s shop in Firetown opening, with dreams of one day taking it over from her father, Bernie, voiced by Ronnie del Carmen (“Inside Out,” “Soul”), and her mother Cinder, voiced by Shila Ommi (“Tehran,” “The Illegal (2019)”). Things become complicated when she meets Wade Ripple, voiced by Mamoudou Athie (“Jurassic World Dominion,” “Sorry for Your Loss”), and the two slowly become closer, despite her parents’ distrust of water elements.
Sohn and co-writers John Hoberg (“The Amanda Show,” “My Name is Earl”), Kat Likkel (“My Name is Earl,” “Sabrina: The Animated Series”), and Brenda Hsueh (“Disjointed,” “How I Met Your Mother”) have crafted a world as visually rich and splendid to spend time in as any other out there. From the differences between the different districts within Element City and on its outskirts, to the minute differences in how the various elements travel and experience life. Seeing Wade’s home filled with water, curved architecture and featuring inflatable furniture like pool toys contrasts with Ember’s, filled with baked clay bricks, metal, and orange and brown tones.
Yes, Pixar’s films always have a level of visual fidelity that makes them a joy to look at, but this time it isn’t just the raw detail. The design and layout of everything is truly remarkable to watch. It feels like one of those movies made to showcase a particular city, like “Lost in Translation” or “Taxi Driver”, but for this fictional place. It helps that all of this is set against one of the best scores Thomas Newman (“Wall-E,” “Finding Nemo”) has ever composed, completely captivating your senses whilst exploring this new place with Ember and Wade.
Thankfully, Wade and Ember themselves are also delightful and so much fun to spend time with. Lewis imbues Ember with a fiery (haha) spirit that doesn’t feel one note. It’s a conflicted aspect of her character, and her evolution throughout the film as Wade helps her come out of her shell is really compelling to watch. Likewise, while not as drastic of a character shift, Wade is a really fun male lead, with Athie balancing his emotions with legitimate passion and love for the city. Their chemistry is great, and it ends up being a really fun and heartwarming romance that feels real and lovely. Ommi and Carmen are also great, and Ember’s parents really steal the show from the jump. Their story is emotionally compelling and it feels like a natural extension of Ember’s.
The specific character animations are also just jaw droppingly gorgeous, and not only are they well animated and detailed, but that beauty finds its way into the story as well. It helps to flesh out both the technical and romantic sides of the movie, as they compliment each other as opposed to being pretty and detailed without really adding to the story.
Yet, there is a level of sameness that permeates “Elemental.” It’s a handful of things that come together and prevent the film from feeling like more than a good time. Yes, just a few years ago Disney did the same “racial allegory with non-human characters” with “Zootopia,” but thankfully here the story isn’t about the allegory itself. It’s an aspect of the story, but Ember isn’t trying to fight back against the oppression of fire people by water people. It also feels at times like its being forced into a typical family adventure movie structure, rather than its more natural fit as a romance.
That romance is still the central focus and shines through every aspect, even if it too can feel cliched for anyone who’s seen their fair share of the genre. But that last complaint is the least of them all because, again, Wade and Ember are a really charming and lovable pair. It does mean that if you dislike one or both of them, the film simply isn’t going to work nearly as well for you, if at all. But that comes with the genre.
“Elemental” is a very charming movie that manages to blend its gorgeous world, in both detail and design, with its story in a satisfying way. Featuring a great romance with two very lovable leads, backed up by a terrific voice cast and phenomenal musical score, it’s a shame that its sameness can prevent it from flying as high as it could. But make no mistake, this is still a fun and great romance that, if nothing else, proves that the studio should try dipping its toes into love stories more often. 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment