Elemental (2023) - Short Takes from Tribeca 2023 #1

I just got back from New York, where I attended the 22nd edition of the Tribeca Festival  (formerly Tribeca Film Festival, but now expanded to all kinds of media).  Over eight and a half days ,I saw twenty (20!) feature films plus 5 short films. Of the features, one was pretty bad, two or three were just mediocre and the rest were good to excellent - a great batting average. Because two of those are about to be released to the general public (as opposed to festival enthusiasts like me), I’m writing about those two first

The two movies have little in common aside from their appearance at Tribeca. Disney/Pixar’s Elemental – a very big deal/big budget animated picture – was just released to theaters nationwide five days ago on June 16th. It’s primarily for kids, families, and Pixar fans - rated PG. The other movie, Take Care of Maya, a much lower profile film, was released directly to streaming on Netflix two days ago on June 19th.  This documentary is a shocking and important look at gross injustice in a system designed to protect children. It’s unrated, but definitely adult fare.  In this post, I’ll review the Disney/Pixar film. This will be followed in a day or two with my review of Take Care of Maya. 

Elemental is the 27th feature produced by Pixar since Toy Story was released a little over 27 years ago. Pixar productions typically are a cut above most other animated movies, even most other Disney products, but within the Pixar universe Elemental is unlikely to make anyone’s top ten list; but then nor is it one of their worst (Cars 1 - 3, Brave, The Good Dinosaur, etc.). 

Elemental is a twist on a classic tale: the beloved child of a striving, hard-working immigrant family tries her best not to disappoint parental expectations, but her aspirations lie elsewhere and, although she knows that it is unacceptable, she falls for a guy from the ‘wrong” tribe. Comic adventures and misunderstandings ensue – so in this respect it is like an animated romantic comedy – one that’s aimed at kids. 

The picture is set in a world where people fall into four main groups: Fire people, water people, earth people and air people (although those last two don’t figure much into the story). The central character, a girl named “Ember”(Leah Lewis), is a fire person. She’s dreamy but bright (haha), energetic, and dutiful. She’s lived all her life in the fire group’s community within a large city. One day she meets a somewhat loopy but very earnest guy named Wade, who - as you may have guessed from his name - is a water person. He immediately falls for Ember, and eventually she realizes that the feeling is mutual. This is, of course, unheard of. Fire and water don’t mix, right? 

The best Pixar pictures take us for a ride into a fantasy universe where suspension of disbelief is an effortless pleasure. In Elemental, there are funny bits (seeing water people in the stands at a ballgame doing the wave is a hoot, for example) and clever bits as well as perils and adventures that occasionally thrill, but it’s not totally effortless; it’s a bit more work to stay with it or care. Children will enjoy it regardless, no doubt. The story is sweet, the animation is fine (even if not up to the highest Pixar standards), the voice work is excellent, and the adventures are entertaining enough.  Still, as an adult, you may find Elemental less appealing than other Pixar films.

Another thing about Pixar movies is that most carry a positive life message embedded within them. The central lesson of the love story that drives the narrative in Elemental is that love is blind, and the societal taboos that divide us (color, class, etc.) are ultimately artificial. But this is a bit hard to analogize in the context of this story, where the differences in question are so, um, elemental.  The incompatibility of fire and water is pretty immutable; it’s not a mere prejudice. Asking us – at least we adults – to ignore this is a big ask. The kids might unthinkingly accept the story, but how do parents explain the social message to them without feeling like frauds?

The biggest weakness of the movie, though, is an all too formulaic narrative. Once upon a time we’d expect more from the creative team at Pixar.  Little kids won’t care, but even a ten-year-old might notice how predictable the basic plot is. But then, children aren’t as critical as some of us older folks. And while the tenor of my comments may trend toward the negative, that’s because I generally bring high expectations to Pixar productions.  While this new one is a bit sub-par compared to their best offerings, there’s no question that Elemental is an entertaining movie, even so.

1 hour 49 Minutes Rated PG

Grade: B

In general release starting June 16, 2023