Elemental: A Review of Pixar's Enchanting Film

“Elemental” is an upcoming American computer-animated romantic comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios that releases on June 16, 2023. “Elemental” at its core is a beautiful immigration story and a sweet love story between two characters who couldn’t be more different. Read on for a spoiler-free review of the film “Elemental.”

Elemental film review — ELEMENTAL, Disney and Pixar’s all-new, original feature film releasing June 16, 2023, features the voices of Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie as Ember and Wade, respectively. “Elemental” is directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream. © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

In “Elemental”, viewers meet Ember, a young headstrong girl who comes from the Fire people. Her parents (Bernie and Cinder Lumen) emigrated to Element City (which doubles as New York City or even San Francisco) and DIY’d a business in an area called Fire Town selling snacks and sundries. Over the years, The Fireplace has grown from a crumbling building to a bustling enterprise. The rest of the city is filled with people made of Wind, Water, and Earth and they all seem to despise the Fire entities because they perceive them to be dangerous, after all, fire has the capability of destroying earth and boiling water.

Even though the Lumen’s are considered dangerous, they are hard-working and look forward to passing along the business to Ember. Ember for her part enjoys working in the shop but difficult customers try her patience. When Ember gets overly frustrated she turns purple and explodes.

Ember meets Wade, an Element City Public of Public Works worker who intends to submit the Lumen’s for a fine for unpermitted work. He’s a Water person who is the very opposite of Ember. Wade is optimistic and upbeat but often gets emotional and cries when those emotions get overwhelming. He and Ember put their differences aside and work to find the source of the water leak before it destroys the Fireplace for good.

FIRE AND WATER © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

The animation style of both the fire and water characters is filled with vibrant colors, intricate textures, and attention to detail. For example, when Ember is standing still her body is moving and pulsing with the oranges and yellows of a real fire. Wade is similar with his body rippling with shades of blue he also boils when he touches Ember which is a cool effect.

When it comes to love stories in Pixar films, they are often crafted with a blend of heartwarming moments, emotional depth, and unexpected twists and “Elemental” is no different. There are silly bits in the movie like Wade having nephews named Marco and Polo. Wade also is shown to be a bit bland and vanilla because even Ember’s fiery snacks make him have indigestion.

Ultimately “Elemental” is a beautifully animated film that celebrates love crossing cultural boundaries. It is easily one of the best Pixar movies since Toy Story.

Miss it in the Theater? Elemental is Coming to Digital, Blu-ray and DVD!

Curl up with a bowl of popcorn and watch at home by adding the film to their Pixar movie collection, and access bonus content including exclusive deleted scenes, featurettes, an audio commentary, and the widely popular all-new short, “Carl’s Date.”

Bonus Features*
Short Film

Carl’s Date – Written and directed by Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® Award winner Bob Peterson and produced by Kim Collins, this all-new short, “Carl’s Date,” finds Carl reluctantly agreeing to go on a date with a lady friend —but admittedly with no idea how dating works these days. Ever the helpful friend, Dug steps in to calm Carl’s pre-date jitters and offer some tried-and-true tips for making friends — if you’re a dog. “Carl’s Date” opened in theaters in front of Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental.”

Featurettes

Ember and Wade – Take a deeper look at the development of main characters Ember and Wade, from early designs to final effects, and learn how the complex work of the technical and character teams brought these characters to life.
Next Stop: Element City – Explore how Element City is built to accommodate its different inhabitants. Director Peter Sohn and crew members share insights about the evolution of the designed world, as well as some of the research that inspired its unique look.
Paths to Pixar: The Immigrant Experience – Hear from first-generation filmmakers on the Elemental crew as they share their journeys to Pixar. Discover how Elemental’s real-world themes of sacrifice and identity, amongst many others, reflect or diverge from their own lived experiences.

Deleted Scenes

Director Peter Sohn introduces five scenes that are storyboarded, set to music, timed, and voiced, but are not included in the final version of Elemental.

Intro Ember – An alternate opening in which our hero Ember helps a newly immigrated Fire family navigate through, and acclimate to, Element City. Scene introduced by director Peter Sohn.
Mom Rejects Wade – Ember’s traditional parents learn that she’s enamored with watery Wade…and it doesn’t go well. Scene introduced by story supervisor Jason Katz.
Dante Challenge – In an attempt to keep Ember apart from Wade, Bernie tasks her with finding a place to live for newcomer Dante, who Wade finds himself rather enamored with. Scene introduced by story artist Nira Liu.
Brook Dinner – Ember joins Wade for dinner at his home, in this abandoned storyline in which Wade’s mother, Brook, is revealed to be the villain diverting water into Firetown. Scene introduced by story artist Anna Benedict.
Beach Proposal – Sharing a tender moment on the beach, Ember and Wade propose marriage to each other. Scene introduced by story artists Yung-Han Chang and Le Tang.

Audio Commentary

Elemental Filmmaker Commentary – Join director Peter Sohn, supe tech Sanjay Bakshi, supervising animator Mike Venturini, and directing animator Gwendelyn Enderoglu as they provide insight into the making of this remarkable animated feature while you watch it.