Elemental wants to be Pixar’s first environmental film, and it mostly gets there, but the message lands softer than the ambition suggests. The 2023 animated feature follows Ember, a fire spirit, and Wade, a water sprite, who meet in a city built from earth and wind. The premise is simple: two elemental beings who shouldn’t exist together fall in love. The execution is less so.
Trailer, via Pixar.
Ember and Wade
Ember is fiery, quick, and confident. Wade is calm, cautious, and awkward. Their chemistry works in the early scenes, where their opposite natures clash and bond at once. The problem sets in when the film starts explaining why they can’t be together, and the explanations grow thinner as the stakes rise.
“The world doesn’t want us together.”
That line sums up the film’s central tension. It’s a noble idea. It just isn’t developed enough to carry a full-length animated feature.
The City of Elements
The setting deserves credit. The city is built from earth and wind, and the animation shows it. Buildings shift, streets ripple, and the background feels alive in a way few animated films manage. It’s a visual treat, even when the story beneath it drags.
The Voice Cast
Voice acting is strong across the board. Emily Blunt brings warmth to Ember, while John Ratzenberger’s Wade sounds genuinely awkward. The supporting cast, including Lena Waithe as Ember’s sister and Utkarsh Ambudkar as Wade’s friend, fills out the world without overwhelming it.
Where It Falls Short
The film stumbles when it tries to be more than a sweet romance. The villain, voiced by Willem Dafoe, is supposed to represent humanity’s destruction of nature. That’s a heavy role. But the film spends more time on Ember and Wade’s private conflict than on the wider threat, and the result is a villain who feels less like a force of nature and more like a plot device.
The pacing suffers too. The middle section drags, with repeated scenes of Ember and Wade arguing about their feelings rather than moving toward the climax. By the time the final act arrives, the urgency feels manufactured rather than earned.
Music and Sound
The score is pleasant without being memorable. Songs pop up at key moments, but none of them stick. The sound design is where the film excels. Wind whistles, fire crackles, and earth rumbles, giving each elemental character a distinct sonic identity.
The Message
The film’s core message is that love can overcome fear. That’s a fine lesson for children, and it’s delivered with sincerity. But the film never fully commits to its own argument. Ember and Wade’s love is presented as a miracle, not as something natural or inevitable. The result is a film that feels smaller than its premise suggests.
Final Word
Elemental is a visually stunning film that struggles to find its heart. The animation is the star, and the voice cast delivers consistently. But the story stalls in the middle and never quite recovers. It’s a solid, occasionally touching Pixar film, not a great one.
- The visuals are the strongest element
- The voice cast is uniformly strong
- The pacing drags in the middle
- The message is noble but underdeveloped
The Verdict
Elemental is a competent, often beautiful film that fails to live up to its own ambitions. It’s worth seeing for the animation alone, but the story leaves you wanting more. It’s a good start for Pixar’s new direction, but it’s far from the finished product.
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