MOVIE REVIEW: ELEMENTAL

In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common.

Director: Peter Sohn

Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O'Hara, Mason Wertheimer, Joe Pera, Matt Yang King

Release Date: June 16, 2023

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG for some peril, thematic elements and brief language

Runtime: 1h 42m

Elemental is a charming romantic comedy disguised as a children's movie which shows that Pixar can still deliver the kind of emotional resonance that makes their films special.  Peter Sohn delivers a beautifully animated journey into a fully realized world of anthropized elemental that's simply dazzling to look at.  The animation packs a mindboggling amount of detail into each frame that's its almost impossible to catch every bit of it in one showing.  The character designs themselves are wonderfully crafted with each elemental given a distinctive look and feel.  Story wise it does feel like it might lean a bit older since the central plot is a rather sweet romance pair with a not so subtle immigrant subplot which will likely go over younger kids heads.  Its a straightforward story done with believable and personal stakes that makes you invested in the story.  A major reason the story resonates is the voice work turned in by film's leads Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie.  Lewis and Athie make a believable and likable onscreen pair with both turning in strong vocal performances that really shine throughout.  Lewis, in particular, provides a nuanced level of emotional range that makes Ember all the more memorable.  Together they share a special kind of chemistry which works in the film's favor.  The subplot involving Ember's immigrant father and his wish to have her run his story is the film's secret weapon and sure to elicit a tear or two by the time the film ends thanks in large part to a heartfelt turn from Ronnie del Carmen.  Elemental may surprise people who haven't been impressed with some of Pixar's more recent offering because it delivers the kind of emotional heft that makes you forget your watching a kids movie.

A-