Disney and Pixar’s new animated movie Elemental spoke to me in so many ways. Yes, the animation is spectacular, with intense and gorgeous colors, and the characters are, as in so many great Disney Pixar classics, truly unique and unforgettable. It's a movie that needs to be experienced on the big screen in order to take in the full spectrum of colors and the magic that is Pixar. But it was the underlying theme of immigration and sacrifice that made me feel seen.
Elemental tells the story of Ember and Wade, two literal opposites living in a world where different elements — fire, water, earth, and air — have learned to coexist. Ember is fire, in the true meaning of the word, fierce, independent, and focused on what she wants. And Wade is water, easy-going, fluid, and transparent. Together they form an unlikely friendship, even though the ongoing mantra in their world is that elements don’t mix—and we see a few times throughout the movie that when they do, the results are … well, sort of disastrous. In Ember and Wade’s case, however, their unlikely relationship challenges their views of themselves and of the world they live in.
The undercurrent (no pun intended) in the movie is subtle tension between old and new, between immigrants and non-immigrants, and, of course, between generations—old-school parents and their kids. Ember is sometimes at odds with her traditional dad, Bernie Lumen, who immigrated from Fireland to Element City, where he’s forged a life for himself and his family. He came in search of a better life, established a business, and is looking forward to passing it on to Ember when he retires. Ember isn’t sure if that’s the life she wants. It’s the story of so many immigrants, like me and my parents, who came to the U.S. with hopes of a better life for ourselves. I see in Ember a little bit of myself: focused, determined, but a little bit insecure in her world, fiercely proud of her fire heritage, but also actively part of the bigger society, trying to fit in, and sometimes failing.
In fact, director Peter Sohn tapped into his own background—his parents immigrated from Korea and he grew up in New York City—to carve out his vision of Element City. The director and producers talked to more than 100 of Pixar’s employees who were first- or second-generation immigrants, to examine their experiences, their feelings, and to craft a story that was reflective of the reality of immigration, of leaving homes and all the familiar behind with the promise of perhaps having a better tomorrow. The film joined three other Disney and Pixar classics, Up, Inside Out, and Soul, that closed out the Cannes Film Festival; Elemental will bring the 76th Cannes Film Festival to a close on May 27, 2023.
Watch the trailer now!
Check out the trailer for Elemental, which premieres on June 16, 2023, only in theaters, and see the stunning animation and effects for yourself.
