Elemental: Emotional carnage in affecting movie

Pixar knows exactly which buttons to push to evoke the most emotional reaction in its audiences.

Elemental is in cinemas now. Picture: Pixar/Disney

There are three certainties in this world – death, taxes and being emotionally floored by a Pixar movie.

The studio, which famously made grown men weep through Toy Story 3 and had adults confront their inner fears and hopes in Inside Out, knows exactly which buttons to push to stir a little introspection.

Those averse to paying for therapy – and even those who aren’t – can find themselves asking all sorts of questions of themselves and their regrets, like learning to find purpose in small delights or whether you told your grandparents you loved them enough.

It’s the family themes that Pixar really knows how to exploit for maximum emotional carnage. From Coco and Turning Red to The Incredibles and even Onward, Pixar’s storytellers understand that familial ties are often the ones that we find most difficult to process.

Elemental fits snugly in this vein.

The new animated feature may have the visual look and hook of an abstract story about emotions, but it’s actually a straightforward narrative about families and balancing the debt we owe to our parents and what we owe to ourselves.

Elemental explores the burden of being a second-generation immigrant. Picture: Pixar/Disney

Co-written and directed by Peter Sohn, a Korean-American filmmaker and son of immigrants, Elemental is a reverent tribute to the toils and sacrifices parents make for their children.

There’s also a romance in there, but it’s the family relationship which powers Elemental.

The story is set in Element City, a vivid metropolis inspired by Sohn’s childhood in New York City. It’s a place where characters of the four elements of nature – fire, earth, wind and water – live among each other, despite their differences.

But, as in life, not all characters are equal. Fire residents are shunned by the other three elements, ghetto-ised in their neighbourhood and often unwelcome in the rest of the city.

Ember (Leah Lewis) is a young fire woman. Her parents Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Ommi) arrived in Element City with little more than dreams, memories and the burning flame of their heritage.

Ember’s dad Bernie built a small neighbourhood shop through grit and determination, and ever since she was a child, Bernie has promised it to Ember as his legacy. Ember has been waiting to take over from her ailing father so he can retire, but she struggles to keep her temper in check.

Elemental was directed by Peter Sohn. Picture: Pixar/Disney

During a crucial day at the shop, Ember meets Wade (Mamoudou Athie), a sentimental water element who works as a city inspector. They’re supposed to be opposites, but their connection is charged.

In learning to explore that bond, and to trust each other, Ember and Wade will form new bridges of acceptance in Element City.

But the strength of Elemental really is in the story between Ember and her dad, Bernie. It dives into the dynamic of an immigrant daughter who wants to repay her parents for everything they’ve ever done for her, forever trying to not disappoint them at the risk of forgoing her own dreams.

Sohn’s lived experience, including the deaths of both of his parents during Elemental’s production, clearly informed the authenticity of emotions threaded through this film.

You’ll feel it deeply.

Rating: 3.5/5

Elemental is in cinemas now

Originally published as Elemental: Emotional carnage in affecting movie