Elemental is a good Pixar film. It's sweet, heartwarming, and the animation dazzles throughout. Pixar's newest feature film is a metaphor for the immigrant experience that's blended with a romantic storyline. In the end, Elemental is incredibly moving. A month ago, I was getting ready to see Wes Anderson's Asteroid City in theaters, or so I thought. When I realized that Asteroid City was starting as a limited release (New York City and Los Angeles) before expanding to wide later in the month. It was Father's Day weekend, and Glynis and I were already on the road to my parent's house to drop off baby Charlotte. I still really wanted to see a movie, so we switched gears and decided to see Pixar's Elemental instead (and I am glad we did). Though Elemental tells similar Pixar beats and tunes, what grabbed me was its impressive animation, vivid score (the great Thomas Newman), and deeply personal story by director Peter Sohn (2015's The Good Dinosaur). The allegories run deep and personal in this movie — while an excellent voice cast (Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Catherine O'Hara) backs up the stories center core. Sohn based this movie's storyline on his own experience growing up in New York City with two Korean immigrant parents. Sohn's parents moved to the Bronx in the '70s and opened their own grocery store. Similarly, Ember's (voiced by a wonderful Leah Lewis) Fire element parents immigrate to Element City. Bernie and Cinder (Ronnie del Carmen and Shila Ommi) struggle to find a home due to xenophobia from the other elements. They have a daughter, Ember, and eventually establish a convenience store called the Fireplace. Within this store and their home: Bernie and Cinder set up a Blue Flame representing their heritage and traditions. As Ember gets older, Bernie intends to give the store to her when he retires. However, she has trouble controlling her fiery temper. Another key inspiration from Sohn was marrying his wife (who is non-Korean). This is the second plotline that runs through Elemental, as Wade (voiced by a gentle Mamoudou Athie) makes a splash into Ember's world. Wade is a Water element, posing the question: can opposites attract? The second plotline is where we get more of the romantic aspects guiding us through Fire and Water — attracting and reacting. Ember and Wade's relationship blossoms naturally on screen, while Pixar continues to tug at one's heartstrings. Being in an interracial marriage myself, Elemental was a lovely story to see on the big screen. What has also been impressive is Elemental's box office legs this summer. What could have been disastrous after opening at a small $29.5 million: has turned out to be the little engine that could story. Because of a very strong word-of-mouth, Elemental has continued to bring in the cash day after day. Elemental has now domestically grossed $126.9 million and internationally grossed $187.5 million, for a worldwide gross of $314.5 million. Some estimates say that it could finish somewhere between the 420-500 million range. So, I am thrilled that this movie got a second life and did not become a box office failure like it easily could have. Due to its grade "A" CinemaScore and families continuing to come see it over the last month, this picture has made one of the best box office rebounds in recent memory. Now, the sad reason why Elemental started off this way is that Disney did a terrible job marketing this movie, and Disney has conditioned families to expect Pixar films to only be released on Disney+ (Soul, Luca, and Turning Red). Here's to hoping that Pixar continues to strive for more future theatrical releases. In the end, Elemental is a beautiful picture inside and out, and it is definitely worth your time. Dazzling, funny, and heartfelt, Elemental is one of the most special movies of the summer. Elemental is rated PG (Parental Guidance) For Some Peril | Brief Language | Thematic Elements Directed by Peter Sohn Starring Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Catherine O'Hara.
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Ryan Arnold
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December 2024
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