Susan Granger’s review of “Elemental” (Disney/Pixar)
After opening in theaters this summer, Pixar’s animated, family-friendly “Elemental” is now available on Disney+. Posing the question: what happens when a woman made of fire falls in love with a man made of water?
In Element City, where anthropomorphic fire, water, land and air residents live in different neighborhoods, fiery Ember Lumen (voiced by Leah Lewis) is a spunky, clever young woman whose friendship with laid-back, aqueous building-inspector Wade Ripple (voiced by Mamoudou Athie) challenges what she’s been taught: namely, “elements don’t mix.”
As the story goes, Ember immigrant parents – Bernie & Cinder (voiced by Ronnie del Carmen & Shila Omi) – came by ship from Fire Land and, when they arrived in the huge “wets only” metropolis, they were turned away by prejudiced landlords.
Indeed, in front of Dry Leaves’ home, there was even a “No Fire” sign, impelling resolute Bernie to proclaim he will never let the “world water us down,”
But when Ember meets preppy Wade, she learns that he comes from a wealthy family of suspended liquids. At first, they spar – but – then a forbidden romance ignites between heat and H20.
Directed by Peter Sohn, the cross-cultural, high-concept “Romeo and Juliet” romantic comedy, inspired by the periodic chart of elements recalled from science class, the generational conflict script was written by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh.
But the pun-filled dialogue is a bit clunky – which seems inevitable when the villain turns out to be urban civic engineering, as a wall threatens to break and cause devastating flooding.
The distinctive, detailed animation is visually splendid – which is what one might expect from Pixar’s first theatrical feature since the Covid-19 pandemic. Pixar’s longtime chief creative officer, John Lasseter, departed in 2018 (he’s now at Skydance Animation), leaving veteran director Pete Docter (“Up,” “Inside Out”) as the studio’s top executive.
Even the closing credits are inventive, accented by Lighterfinger candy and Sizzlemint gum.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Elemental” sparks a stunning 7, streaming exclusively on Disney+ or available to buy as a Blue-ray/DVD on Amazon.
