There's no question that Pixar has produced some of the highest-quality animated movies of all time, from classics such as "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," and "Up." While this film certainly isn't at the upper tier of quality that Pixar films can achieve, it's a solid animated film overall that blends creativity and a heartfelt sense of earnestness. It won't stick with you forever, but it's still far better than most animated films released today. It should generally work well for families with younger kids, and should also scratch the itch of nostalgia at least somewhat for teens and adults who grew up with and loved Pixar's earlier films.
This film is set in Element City, a fictional metropolis with anthropomorphic fire, water, air, and land people. It centers around Ember, a young fire woman, and Wade, a young water man, who both share a deep affection for each other despite societal values discouraging mixing and further interaction between those of other "elements." As can be expected from a Pixar film, the animation is beautiful on both a conceptual and an artistic level. Element City is beautifully laid out and analyzed, and a clever amount of thought is put into the metaphysical properties of the world and the different "element people." For example, scenes of water people "crying" are used as a hilarious and cunning punchline. The world-building complements the story as it provides greater context for why characters came to Element City and what their day-to-day lives are like within their respective section of the city; these routine intricacies are wrapped up within the film's greater plot and its allegorical messages concerning immigration and the dangers of xenophobia. These messages can sometimes come across as a bit heavy-handed, but still contribute to a story with just enough emotion and heart to get the job done. Despite the clever concept, "Elemental" could have used a more significant and substantial plot with greater narrative cohesion, as the film seems a bit lacking in story (and what story there is fairly generic.) This would have helped elevate it to a higher-quality tier of Pixar films. The plot concerns are at least somewhat offset by the engaging characterization and use of setting, tone, and.a beautiful animation style/aesthetic, but they do mean that this film cannot achieve the outstanding level of quality merited by Pixar's better films. That said, this is still a good and entertaining film that I generally recommend. 7/10
Note: I saw the film in 3D. The quality of the 3D was rather good, with significant amounts of visual depth in key scenes.
This film is set in Element City, a fictional metropolis with anthropomorphic fire, water, air, and land people. It centers around Ember, a young fire woman, and Wade, a young water man, who both share a deep affection for each other despite societal values discouraging mixing and further interaction between those of other "elements." As can be expected from a Pixar film, the animation is beautiful on both a conceptual and an artistic level. Element City is beautifully laid out and analyzed, and a clever amount of thought is put into the metaphysical properties of the world and the different "element people." For example, scenes of water people "crying" are used as a hilarious and cunning punchline. The world-building complements the story as it provides greater context for why characters came to Element City and what their day-to-day lives are like within their respective section of the city; these routine intricacies are wrapped up within the film's greater plot and its allegorical messages concerning immigration and the dangers of xenophobia. These messages can sometimes come across as a bit heavy-handed, but still contribute to a story with just enough emotion and heart to get the job done. Despite the clever concept, "Elemental" could have used a more significant and substantial plot with greater narrative cohesion, as the film seems a bit lacking in story (and what story there is fairly generic.) This would have helped elevate it to a higher-quality tier of Pixar films. The plot concerns are at least somewhat offset by the engaging characterization and use of setting, tone, and.a beautiful animation style/aesthetic, but they do mean that this film cannot achieve the outstanding level of quality merited by Pixar's better films. That said, this is still a good and entertaining film that I generally recommend. 7/10
Note: I saw the film in 3D. The quality of the 3D was rather good, with significant amounts of visual depth in key scenes.