Elemental (Christian Movie Review)
Verdict: A charming, beautifully crafted tale containing enough classic elements to remind audiences why they fell in love with Pixar and a few of the problematic tendencies that have recently strained that relationship.
About The Movie
Do opposites attract? That question may be left to the relationship gurus to determine. More pressing to Pixar Studios is whether its cherished movie magic can attract family audiences back to theaters, which has proven to be difficult in recent years.
True to its name, Elemental possesses many of the familiar Pixar elements, for better or worse. There is beautiful animation, artful direction, an emotionally deep story, and the expected exploration of mature “adult” themes. There are also plenty of familiar tropes, such as an anthropomorphized world, and some scattered elements reminiscent of the more controversial recent films (LGBTQ representation and potentially questionable language).
Elemental is a Romeo and Juliet-esque romance. Ember (a fire element) and Wade (a water element) unexpectedly fall in love. The budding romance poses obvious problems, such as their inability to physically touch and the societal expectations that “elements don’t mix.” The movie isn’t slow, but it isn’t action packed either. The movie focuses almost exclusively on the romantic storyline, with the subplot about saving Ember’s family’s business from closing functioning mostly as an excuse to bring the characters together. There are touching moments aplenty, although my 8-year-old twins got a bit restless at times.
Tonally, the movie is fairly serious. It contains humor—some of it quite funny—but the movie lacks a classic goofy side-character to produce laughs. Rather than gags, the film leans into the emotional side of the story. There are some visually striking scenes and some chewy thematic material. There is no “villain.” The struggles are mostly internal, although influenced by the impact of larger cultural factors and prejudices. The story probes the experiences of an immigrant child and the difficulty of balancing personal dreams with family and societal expectations.
These themes are wholesome and redemptive, if occasionally heavy-handed (lectures about privilege come across a bit preachy in a film that otherwise leans more toward subtlety). If all this sounds like a lot for a child audience, it probably is. Even the romantic storyline, while not uncommon in animated films, is likely to resonate more with adults that pre-pubescent child viewers.
The pre-movie short film is a charming story featuring Carl and Doug from UP, and it serves as a reminder of the soaring heights Pixar once traveled. Elemental is not on par with those earlier classics, but it is a return to form after a string of uninspiring duds. The inclusion of some questionable or suggestive material may be enough to keep some Christian audiences away, but there is plenty of redemptive value to appreciate. Overall, Elemental is a charming, beautifully crafted, and skillfully told tale with enough classic elements to remind audiences why they fell in love with Pixar and several problematic elements that affirm why the relationship has become strained.
For Consideration
Language: No overt swears, but there are several substitutes. One flame character tells another to “Get off your lazy ash.” Characters also use words like “flame” as in-world profanities. There is one use of “dang.”
Violence: None. Several water characters get “boiled” by going too close to fire characters, but no lasting harm is done.
Sexuality: The story is a romance, with a strong emphasis on the feelings developing between the two main characters. There is also some LGBTQ representation. Some instances are clear (to parents, if not to younger children), while others are more ambiguous due to the characters’ non-human appearances. There is a scene in which two tree-like Earth elements are spotted picking apples off each other. They become bashful and awkwardly claim they are “just pruning,” which seems to be a clear sexual innuendo. Later, another character jokingly asks if there will be “pruning” on their date. Ember’s parents declare that their new life situation will allow them more time for “hanky panky.” A water element tells a fire element that she is “hot” and “smoking,” using the words literally, but they are received as unwanted flirtation.
Other: Spirituality plays a role throughout. One character alludes to “an act of God,” implying that there is some form of supernatural belief in the fantastical world. The fire people pray to a blue flame that serves as their spiritual connection. Ember’s mother is also a sort of “love psychic,” who does mystical “readings” to discover if couples are truly in love (the couple lights incense sticks, which allows her to “smell” love or not). These scenes are not necessarily depicted in an overtly spiritual or pagan sense, although they are clearly inspired by real-world psychic readings.
Engage The Film
Individualism & Family Ties
Elementals strikes an interesting balance between modern individualism and traditional family ties. On the one hand, the movie champions individualism. Ember has dreams but feels pressured to conform to her family’s expectations. Wade encourages her to essentially “follow her heart” rather than her family’s wishes (and in the context of the story, he’s right). On the other hand, Ember’s struggle is evidence of her deep love for her family and her crippling fear of being a “bad daughter.” Unlike Turning Red, another recent Pixar film, in which the daughter aggressively flaunts her independence, Ember’s struggle comes across as far more mature. Some parents may feel uneasy about the theme of a child challenging her parents’ wishes (although, while Ember’s age is not stated, she appears to be a young adult rather than a child), but the film handles the theme in a way that both empowers the child and respects the parent.
Immigration and Racism
Prejudice and racism seemingly exist in all universes. Although set in a fantastical world, the movie clearly channels real-life experiences. Elemental is an immigration tale, with Ember’s family immigrating to Elemental City. Once there, the fire elements are largely consigned to Firetown and treated with disrespect from other elements.
The relationship between Ember and Wade begins as a necessary partnership but slowly morphs into something romantic as the characters from two different worlds come to see the beauty in each other, even as others—particularly Ember’s father—are blinded by stereotypes and unable to accept it. The movie does a good job of tracing Ember’s parents’ journey, sympathizing with their mistreatment and understandable resentment without endorsing it. Wade’s family is in many ways the typical “privileged class,” yet they are also depicted as fundamentally good characters. For the most part, the film handles the themes delicately and allows the characters’ experiences to speak for themselves, although it does occasionally become preachy. Even so, I was able to have a positive conversation with my children on the way home from the theater about immigration and the challenges some people face.
1 Comment
by Anon
Hanky Panky hahahaha