Pixar’s new fantasy is just as sneakily subversive as 2015’s Inside Out.
I continue to be impressed by the way the animation studio’s writers — in this case, Peter Sohn, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh — work so much real-world relevance into their wildly imaginative stories. On top of which, the strong note of “working hard to get along” is sorely needed these days.
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| While watery Wade looks on happily, fiery Ember does her best to handle his mother Brook's effusive greeting. |
Bernie is nearing retirement age, and has long promised that Ember will inherit the family business. Unfortunately, the impatient and (ahem) hot-headed young woman has an explosive temper that isn’t conducive to customer interactions.
Some structural mishaps bring their shop to the attention of city inspector Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), a Water guy who takes his job seriously. That said, such responsibilities frequently conflict with his compassionate nature; issuing tickets often makes him burst into tears.
(“He’s the type of character that’ll cry at a diaper commercial,” notes director Peter Sohn.)
Circumstances — and a citywide mystery — force Ember and Wade together, despite the danger that they pose to each other. And while their slowly developing relationship mirrors countless romantic comedies that begin with an oil-and-vinegar couple, the writers here have far more on their minds.
Wade is as laid back and gentle as Ember is uptight and passionate. But Wade also is a perceptive listener: a “mirror character” who allows Ember to see herself better. This is crucial, because she has long suppressed a talented artistic side. Truth be told, she doesn’t really want to take over the family business … but she also doesn’t want to disrespect her old-school parents.
What’s a loving daughter to do?
Yep, we once again have the push/pull that finds a young adult caught between personal ambition — a desire to blaze one’s own trail — and parental expectations. This is handled poignantly, and with gentle good humor; the same is true of the parallel narrative that finds Ember and Wade struggling to look beyond their (blatantly obvious) surface differences, to forge a bond.
Although Ember is afraid to disclose this relationship to her parents, she quickly meets Wade’s easygoing clan, led by his progressive mother, Brook (Catherine O’Hara). They’re a hilariously emotional and weepy bunch, given to frequent gushes of tears that could fill bathtubs.
Other key characters include Wade’s boss, Gale (Wendi McLendon-Covey), a blustery Air element with an outsized personality and fluffy pink complexion; Clod (Mason Wertheimer), a cheeky, street-smart Earth kid with a crush on Ember; and Fern (Joe Pera), an overworked, slow-moving, vine-covered Earth bureaucrat who literally has grown into his job (an amusing visual).
Lewis and Athie inhabit their characters expressively, the latter particularly attuned to Wade’s patient and generous nature. But Del Carmen gets my vote for best voice actor here; his handling of Bernie’s pride, passion and tradition-minded nature is sublime.
The many character dynamics take place against the deepening mystery, which soon becomes threatening; heroics prove necessary.
Element City itself is a breathtaking display of color and imagination, with four distinct districts. That said, the metropolis was founded by Water elements; a canal system — dubbed the Wetro — is the central mode of transportation. As a result, most of the city wasn’t built with Fire people in mind; Ember must navigate some streets very carefully.
Districts are color-coded to their residents: Fire is red and orange; Water is cool blue; Earth is green and brown; Air is pink and purple. The Earth district features vegetation-laden terraces and tree-like buildings; the Air district is filled with propellers, clouds and other means of visualizing flow. Waterfalls and translucent structures fill the Water district, while Fire is laden with sooty streets of metal and stone (materials these citizens can use without causing damage).
The character animation is equally captivating. Ember and her parents are fire; they’re not beings “on fire.” Similarly, Wade is water, not some sort of vessel holding water. Their movements and behavior persuasively radiate from that premise.
The story builds to a great climax, with only one odd hiccup along the way. A brief sidebar takes us to Cyclone Stadium, where the Windbreakers — Gale’s favorite team — have made the playoffs; everything depends on the team’s star player. But this detour has nothing to do with the rest of the story, and feels like a sequence lifted from some other film.
Fortunately, it’s easily forgotten as we reach the final scene, which brings moving closure to an anecdote Bernie shares in the first act. By which point, we’ve become so attached to these characters, that they may as well be real.
The cherry on top: Reviving a tradition not seen since the Academy Award-winning short, Bao, accompanied the 2018 release of The Incredibles 2, Elemental is joined by Carl’s Date, another delightful romp with the crotchety Carl and his talking dog, Dug. Voicing Carl here, as he did in 2009’s Up and numerous other Dug Days shorts, was the last assignment Ed Asner completed before he died in the summer of 2021.
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