There isn’t a whole lot I can say that hasn’t already been said about Pixar. They won many Academy Awards and their films have touched millions of fans all around the world. Lately, they’ve been creating a batch of new and or original films like Luca, Soul, Turning Red, and Onward. Even though they’ve gotten a lot of sequels from some of their other films from the past, Elemental is another original.

Elemental as the title suggests is a film that focuses on a world surrounded by anthropomorphic elements. The story is that of a family of fire people Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) Cinder (Sheila Vosough) and their daughter Ember (Leah Lewis) who immigrate to Elemental City. They own a store called The Fireplace and when Ember is ready she will inherit the store from her father. The thing is she inadvertently causes a leak and sucks a water guy out the pipes named Wade (Mamoudou Athie) When they meet there is instant chemistry between them and they create a lot of steam the more they hang out with each other. The problem is fire and water can’t mix and Ember’s parents aren’t happy with this impending relationship.

Pixar is known for making films where that are mostly for children because of the animation. They also make films for adults. This one is a mix of both and it’s inspired by a play called Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. A gem of a story a lot of people can relate to. Children will love this world and the characters and adults will love the story and how it’s relatable for parents who have children. Parents want the best for their kids and this story reflects that in every way possible.

There are a lot of reasons I love Pixar films, and one of them is animation. They change up their style with each subsequent film they do. To not be repetitive or stale. The animation in this movie was so interesting. How the various elements were designed was so cool. Each of the various elements had their style about them. The water elements had a nice flow to them and their hairstyles and the fire events were the most interesting of the bunch. They just came to life on screen. The background animation was very in-depth and detailed as well. I loved this animation style for this film.

Usually, animated movies have an All-Stars cast of voice actors attached to voice all the characters in the film. This one though is a tad different. Even though the main actors may be known to some people they are relatively new to animated films and voice acting. They do a stellar job nonetheless. They bring the emotion that is necessary for these characters. The drama comes along with that. And in some cases, there is humor and laughter. This movie has a lot of emotions to go along with all the various elemental species., Air, Water, Fire, and Ground.

Elemental mixes two great things from the past that I love. Romeo and Juliet with what seems to me like Inside Out is one of the best films from the Pixar Vault. Inside Out captured the hearts and minds of the world and so it makes sense to me that the director Peter Sohn and the writers John Hoberg, Linda Likkel, and Brenda Hsouh had that in mind when they started making this movie. The Romeo and Juliet aspect is oldy, but a goody. You can always create a new version of this classic tale to fit into whatever your needs are for a story. In this movie, it made complete sense to infuse it with that story. I also loved the world around the main characters they created. This world seemed , so immersive to me. Throw in an amazing song by Lauv called “Steal the Show” and you have another winner for Pixar and company.

As Sherlock Holmes might say it’s Elemental, my dear Watson. That phrase completely describes what this movie is all about. It’s so much more than that though. It’s got beautiful and original animation that fits the characters and story. It has a lot of dramatic story beats people can relate to. An immigrant story that others might also relate to. The main thing a lot of teens will love about this movie is the steamy relationship between two characters who aren’t supposed to be with one another. This is the key element of this story. I know people will go see this movie in droves for that burgeoning love story between a fire girl and a water guy. Which is forbidden in their cultures. This is another Pixar classic that will be nominated for the Best-Animated Feature Oscar at next year’s Academy Awards.

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen