How does an immigrant live? How does it feel to leave one’s home in ruins and start a new life in an alien country? What does it look like when others are given preference over you because you are new?

Pixar’s latest animated film Elemental dives into one such experience and the problems they face while not being treated as normal folks.

Set in an imaginative Element City, the 109-minute animated flick is about a community being targeted due to its different nature. In the city, earth, water, air and fire people coexist, but folks belonging to the latter are mistreated and not accepted wholeheartedly. The Lumen’s, like many, were driven away from the Elemental city, as its watery structure was not made for fire. They relocated to Elemental after their own home was destroyed.

Ember Lumen, the daughter born in the new country, is hot-headed (made of fire) and eventually joins hands with Wade Ripple (created from water) to change it all for the better. While she is all set to take over her family’s grocery store, her problem is her ‘temper’ature, since she gets angry quickly. However, after accidentally meeting the cool Wade, she becomes a better person. Wade might work for Air who wants the store closed, but turns out to be a good influence on Ember.

Like most Pixar films, the pole-apart characters first get on each other’s nerves and then become a team to complete the mission. The chemistry between the lead pair gets full marks; vocals by Mamoudou Athie as Wade and Leah Lewis as Ember provide what was required for Pixar’s first romantic comedy. Ember can extinguish Wade easily, while Wade can douse her flame, but they don’t. They complement each other and defy the odds.

This romantic comedy also has moments that can bring a tear to one’s eyes. Ember, an immigrant, had a life where she was denied a childhood; after teaming with Wade, she managed to relinquish those times, and her way of thinking changed after making friends. Ember’s dad, Bernie, may seem like a routine dad, but the way he expresses his love for his daughter should be an example for all fathers.

The animation complimented all the characters, as was the detailing of the city. Who would miss watching fire-mums pushing babies in BBQ grills, tree couples harvesting each other’s apples, swimming pools as living rooms, and basketball games being played in cyclone stadium?

With a heart-warming message and stunning visuals, it’s a movie for the entire family. And yes, it comes from a studio that has given us Toy Story, Inside Out and Up, and is all set to join the rank of these classics.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 23rd, 2023