'Elemental' review: Filipino Ronnie del Carmen lends voice to new 'cute' Pixar production
MANILA, Philippines — Chemistry is the focal point of Pixar's latest outing "Elemental" which has the four basic elements co-existing in the same city and must live with one another, whether they like it or not.
"Elemental" follows short-tempered fire element Ember (Leah Lewis) who dreams of taking over her father Bernie's (Filipino co-director and co-writer of "Inside Out" Ronnie del Carmen) convenience store, that is until she meets emotional water element Wade (Mamoudou Athie).
Ember and Wade's paths intertwine in more ways than one and they begin to realize that there is something bigger drawing them closer, but there are things holding them back — being what they are just the surface of it.
Director Peter Sohn previously shared that the film's inspiration was his own life as the son of immigrants in New York City, and the story reflects such themes of immigrant families, cultural differences, and privilege.
For all the imagination that went into the creation of "Elemental," there still feels something lacking in what the film decides to focus on, namely Ember and Wade's relationship.
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There is nothing wrong at all with bringing together people from different walks of life, though its a trope endlessly seen onscreen, but there is much to explore in a world inhabited by elements — Air and Earth are basically pushed to the side at the expense of pushing the story forward.
Nothing particularly new is introduced in the differences between contrasting people, and the racial tensions are surface at best (anything further might confuse younger viewers), so a lot of opportunities go to waste.
As such it's a shame because Pixar is still trying to find its footing in this new era of animation, currently dominated by Sony or more specifically its recent release "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" which heavily overshadows the impressive work done by the studio here.
The static movement of Ember and transparent looks of Wade, appearances that extend to their families, are another step forward for Pixar but again is beginning to lose sight of the creative ingenuity it had in years past.
There is some positive hope though like Thomas Newman's light score that are reminiscent of a mix between "Soul" and the aforementioned "Inside Out" yet stand out from the composer's past Pixar work in "Finding Nemo," "WALL-E," and "Finding Dory" (coincidentally all directed by Andrew Stanton).
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Newman also finds an inspired collaboration with singer-songwriter Lauv to create new original song "Steal the Show" which might be the most memorable takeaway by audiences upon leaving theaters.
Lewis, Athie, and Oscar nominee del Carmen all give justice to their characters as do Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and a funny Catherine O'Hara, if only the story could do the same.
Pixar has yet to release something as stellar as del Carmen's "Inside Out" in 2015 — "Coco," "Soul," and "Turning Red" come closest when it comes to original ideas — and the slump might continue unless both Pixar and Disney find a new foothold.
"Elemental" is a cute watch even with the endless elements-related puns, but there is no new ground being broken in seeing fire and water fall for each other; it's a C- in chemistry at best.
"Elemental" premieres in Philippine cinemas on June 14.
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