Cast:
Leah Lewis (Ember Lumen), Mamoudou Athie (Wade Ripple), Ronnie del Carmen (Bernie Lumen), Shila Ommi (Cinder Lumen), Wendi McLendon-Covey (Gale Cumulus), Catherine O'Hara (Brook Ripple), Mason Wertheimer (Clod), Ronobir Lahiri (Harold), Wilma Bonet (Flarrietta), and Joe Pera (Fern Grouchwood) Directed by Peter Sohn.
Review:
"My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx...We were among many families who ventured to a new land with hopes and dreams — all of us mixing into one big salad bowl of cultures, languages, and beautiful little neighborhoods. That's what led me to Elemental."
Before I start, here is a list of each and every Pixar film released since Toy Story 4 (2019): Onward (2020)- released in theaters, but in the infamous month of March 2020...Soul (2020)- released in the US on Disney+ but with a theater release for countries without streaming service...Luca (2021)-same process, Disney+....Turning Red (2022)- same process, Disney+...and Lightyear (2022)- actual theater release (but lack of interest by me to actually get around to watch it). I am stating this to basically say that Pixar (or more specifically the Disney machine) are reaping what they sowed with the financial failure that has occurred with this film by what they did with the use of putting animated films on a streaming service while barely promoting Elemental, a film about elements of nature within a melting pot of a neighborhood. Peter Sohn and his experiences as a son of immigrants in New York City in the 1970s helped to shape a seven-year production cycle, for which he co-wrote the story with John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh. Sohn studied at CalArts before working at Pixar, in the mid-2000s, which namely involved the art and story departments; he directed his first film with The Good Dinosaur (2015), which is probably notable as being considered Pixar's "first audience flop".
Admittedly, I picked the movie because I really did want to call streaming an abomination and not have it seem like an off-topic tangent. That, or perhaps to talk about the fact that it helps to be really selective in picking movies-No, not really, I picked it because sometimes going on a lark and picking a movie with little buzz after a week of release has a good chance of surprise. With this one, I would say the film was pretty average in ambition and ultimately decent in mild entertainment. Granted, I wish there was a bit more to the movie more than a mild attempt at detailing just what matters most to growing on one's path, but it still should be a decent experience for 109 minutes. Lewis and Athie make a quality pairing in shaky ground for romance that make for a quality meet-cute without seeming forced or too out of place that shows the nature of their upbringing in making decisions and interacting with people. In short, they make a neat couple for what is needed, even if you and I probably know how it is going to go when the first reaction to fire and water touching is not, well, a blaze of peril and doom. The movie doesn't really have a villain because, well, its only dilemma involves how Lewis will cope with the idea of not being just like her on-screen dad in del Carmen in terms of dream and/or interests. I do like del Carmen here, because even in his distrust of water-folks, you can see where he comes from when it comes to a warping of what is right and wrong in terms of treating more than just your fellow neighbor (at least one that looks like you) the right way. So yes, what matters more than living within certain places and with certain folks only? Making sure that you have raised an offspring that you are proud of in some way. Ommi and O'Hara make for interesting maternal figures in support of that, and one can at least say each element family is somewhat distinct without being too cookie-cutter about emotions and how to handle oneself. In general, the movie does better when not trying to dwell on its attempt at stakes (a flood), which generally means it has a few chuckles and a semi-solid duo to hold the most basic of immigrant allegory together. As a whole, it won't go down as one of Pixar's best movies, but a decent Pixar movie is a still a decent movie to go along with for any day.
Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.
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