Review: Pixar's "Elemental" Won't Start a Fire, But It Holds

Pixar's “Elemental” evokes a diverse metropolis where the elements—fire, water, earth, and air—live as largely separate ethnicities from one another. For fire and water, especially, the mixture can be combustible. A bad splash could consume the fire; a strong flame could evaporate the water. This is the rare kids' movie where subway rides are more fraught with danger than the real world.

“Elemental” is the 27th film from Pixar and the second from studio veteran Peter Sohn (“The Good Dinosaur”). But in many ways, it feels like a spiritual sequel to Disney Animation's release "Zootopia," an equally brilliant city full of anthropomorphic racial metaphors with occasional interactions with municipal bureaucracy.

In “Elemental,” Ember Lumen (voiced by Leah Lewis in the English voice cast) is the daughter of an immigrant couple from Fireland (Tierra del Fuego): Ernie (Ronnie Del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Omni ), who were given names in English as they passed through customs similar to the entrance at New York's Ellis Island.

Like countless real-life immigrants before them, Ernie and Cinder have carved out a thriving life and business, a literally hot-food warehouse that Ember is expected to inherit. But her temper is a problem, Ember, a llama redhead capable of turning "all purple," can resemble the anger of Lewis Black's "Inside Out." Despite this, his most pressing problem is a leak in the basement from which emerges Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), a building and water inspector who immediately detects dozens of code violations that would shut down the place.

“Elemental” may not be anywhere near top-tier Pixar, but, with fire and water hazards all around, it's certainly an insurance agent's dream.

So where does it enter the Pixar canon? Probably in the second half. Heartfelt and intelligent, with a touch of the dazzling, “Elementary” comes closer to rekindling some of the old Pixar magic than some of its more recent movies.

However, the union of an elemental high concept with a classic immigrant tale never achieves alchemy. Aside from a beautiful elevated subway that splashes water below every time a train slides by, Element City doesn't quite meet a fully developed world. Despite basing the film on the building blocks of life, there is little sense of the natural world.

Set against the backdrop of the raging wildfires that have engulfed the United States and Canada, “Elemental” manages to be a film about fire and water without even a passing reference to today's climate realities. Missed opportunities abound. The earth and the air are relegated to small roles. Not a soul sings “The Eternal Flame”. The Earth Wind and Fire band does not have a cameo.

But if "Elemental"'s comedic potential isn't exploited, its central story is more compelling and tenderly drawn. Walking around town in a fancy cape to avoid lighting things up in her path, Ember is one of Pixar's strongest leading ladies. The sacrifice and burden of being a first-generation immigrant daughter is poignantly portrayed in her.

The strongest scenes in “Elemental” are with Ember and her father as they navigate a family crossroads. Despite how responsible Ember feels to her family, they push her in another direction. Her true talent is glassmaking, which she can do exquisitely in a moment, with a few quick puffs. She would be a champion in “Blown Away”.

Ember, I think, would have been enough to build a movie. But that's not "Elemental". Instead, Sohn's film, with a script by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh, indulges too much in a "West Side Story"-style romance between Ember and Wade as they run down an Element City that, like “Chinatown” (“Chinatown”), has a water problem.

The two rush to cover up a mysterious leak and Wade soon carries a torch for Ember. Word Fireboy and Watergirl games fly. “You're so hot,” he says. "Excuse me?" she replies. "No," he stutters. "Like smoke."

It is a seemingly impossible love story; they even fear touching. And they come from very different worlds. Wade, who looks like a watery Colin Jost, lives with his family in a doorman building. But as a counterpart to Ember, he's a bit of a dork. He sheds tears at the mere mention of butterflies and talks wide-eyed about "embracing the light." "Elemental" begins to push against a threshold from here to the unknown: Maybe you can only go so far with a romance whose protagonist is a translucent blob named Wade.

As for the short that precedes “Elementary”, “Carl's Date”, it shows old Carl Fredricksen and his dog Doug, who chases squirrels. Here, Carl nervously prepares for his first date since the death of his beloved Ellie. Doug's advice: "Bring a toy." He's a fitting companion to "Elemental" ("Up's" kid Russell was loosely inspired by Sohn) and a poignant farewell to Ed Asner, who recorded his dialogue before his death in 2021.

“Elementary,” a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG (suggesting some parental guidance) by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for brief stunts, thematic elements, and some dialogues. Duration: 103 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.