Film Review: ELEMENTAL (2023): Peter Sohn’s Disney/Pixar Movie is a Genuinely Heartfelt, Magical Movie-Going Experience

Elemental Review

Elemental (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Peter Sohn, written by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh and starring Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O’Hara, Mason Wertheimer, Ronobir Lahiri, Joe Pera, Matthew Yang King, Reagan To, Jeff LaPensee, Jonathan Adams, Alex Kapp and P.L. Brown.

Disney/Pixar’s Elemental is movie-making magic at its most ambitious and heartwarming. Director Peter Sohn’s new love story about the fiery Ember (voice of Leah Lewis) and the watery by-the-book inspector, Wade Ripple (the voice of Mamoudou Athie) is an emotionally satisfying and, at times, hilarious animated film. It’s a tale of friendship, romance, fathers and daughters, and making satisfying life choices. Set in Element City where fire, water, land and air residents coexist, Elemental is a brave and immensely enjoyable movie that takes risks and succeeds in providing its audience with relatable and memorable characters who are written with heart and sincerity.

It seems that Ember has a bit of a temper which manifests itself through her rage that occurs at given intervals throughout the movie. She’s the opposite of the mild-mannered Wade. This movie employs the themes of “opposites attract” but plays so much more interestingly than the simplicity of that premise would suggest. Elemental is every bit as good as some of the best Disney/Pixar efforts and will have audiences in tears during some central moving moments in the picture.

As for the story line: Ember is next in line to take over her father, Bernie (voiced by Ronnie Del Carmen)’s store which is geared towards the fire crowd of Element City. There are significant pipe leakages which Wade cites the shop for. These violations must be corrected or the store will shut down. At first, Ember and Wade are not exactly romance-driven. Ember wants to save face with her dad and get the violations erased. Wade doesn’t seem to have much sympathy until Ember explains her side of the situation. Wade then sets out to help Ember on her quest to make good with her dad’s wish to retire and turn the store over to her. Cinder is the name of Ember’s mom and she’s nicely voiced by Shila Ommi.

There are some wholly original sequences such as when Ember chases Wade and the two characters shift themselves to get through small passages. Wade wants to get away from Ember at first but Ember wants to make everything OK in any way possible for her family. Ember’s family has struggled and Ember doesn’t want to see her parents lose everything they have worked so hard to achieve. Her temper is a bit of a problem, though. She gets mad at a customer who wants to get one free sparkler without paying for the one that entitles that person to a free one. Through her relationship with Wade, Ember realizes her true passion in life and that she doesn’t want to run her dad’s store. She wants to chart her own path and, over time, she discovers she wants to explore life with the good-natured Wade by her side.

Elemental may chart familiar themes but does so in a fresh way. This film takes risks and has fun with the material it showcases to the audience. At a basketball game between air (what else?) players, Ember speaks out to a puffy air cloud woman present at the game who may be able to help her dad’s store stay open. Ember starts to talk about how the players of the game they are watching are overpaid and Ember suggests that empathy be taken into consideration for the matter of her family’s situation. Ember is a character with a literal fiery passion that is extraordinarily voiced by Leah Lewis in the film’s standout role. Lewis captures the complexity and sincerity of Ember to a tee.

While the love story of the movie is certainly unique, it is also easy to feel sympathetic and emotionally invested in the two would-be lovers at hand in the movie. They feel relatable due to their opposite natures. In one of the best scenes, fire and water come together as the lovers hold hands in the most delicate way possible to avoid any further complications and find their love prevailing above all else.

There are tear jerking “elements” of the movie which never feel sappy or manipulative. They flow naturally from the interaction of the characters and the plot details which are revealed in the story line. There are definitely scenes which will make audience members cry and they are handled with terrific sensitivity and compassion.

Ember with her great wardrobe of dresses proves to be a perfect match for the ordinary Wade who has a big heart and a lot of love for Ember. Athie voices Wade extremely well adding a lot of charm and also creates a memorable characterization. We want to see Wade and Ember beat the odds that are stacked against them and pursue their dreams.

The best part of Elemental may be its musical score by Thomas Newman. This music drives the material as Ember pushes Wade away at one point in order to try to be there for her dad’s store and for her parents while not thinking about her own dreams in life. Newman is one of the best in the business and it would be a crime for his work on Elemental to not get recognized with an Academy Award nomination. Newman’s score perfectly embodies all the themes of the film.

Disney/Pixar films tend to remind audiences of what is so great about life through presenting characters that experience all the joys that existence presents in any living form. Elemental will move the audience in such a way that it’s easy to become 100% involved in the story and Ember is one of the best creations Disney/Pixar ever came up with. While Merida from Brave stood as one of the most distinct animated female characters for some time, Ember will easily stand beside her as a fantastic addition to the Disney/Pixar family.

It is a brilliant choice for Elemental to end on such an inspiring note as it does. While Wade’s family in the movie is known for their watery tears, Ember’s family is known for their fiery determination. When the fiercely independent Ember makes her choice to love and pursue her dreams at the end of the film, it’s a powerful representation of the ability to have the chance to make a difference in one’s existence through making a stand that satisfies both creative and emotional needs. This is a great film.

Rating: 10/10

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