Review: 'Elemental' is Pixar's mixed portrayal of America's immigrant heritage

Pixar has built up a lot of goodwill over the years with a host of animated classics that include “Toy Story,” “Up” and “Wall-E.”

With the name comes a certain expectation of quality storytelling and, usually, its filmmakers get the benefit of the doubt. With “Elemental” you have to admire the ambition, even if the execution is disjointed and a bit lacking.

At its heart, “Elemental” represents a rumination on immigration and bigotry presented in a way for the younger set to digest (Look! A flame talking to a walking waterspout!). Yes, they’re elements that can’t typically interact together.

Too much heat evaporates water or a deluge of H20 extinguishes a flame. The star-crossed couple in this film. Ember (Leah Lewis) and Wade (Mamoudou Athie) meet through her parents’ corner shop in Firelands.

As the daughter of immigrants, such a situation comes with expectations. A debt to parents is owed for making sacrifices so the child can have a better life. It’s a story that’s as old as this country.

Ember feels she owes her parents, which means taking over the shop, a shop that has its problems, including plumbing issues.

Enter Wade, a city inspector, who writes the shop a slew of citations, something he immediately regrets. That regret turns into obligation for him as he works to help Ember solve her plumbing and citation problems. That leads to the duo spending a lot of time together despite the fact he’s water and she’s fire. As far as they’re concerned, they do mix.

With Wade’s encouragement, Ember begins to understand there is a life beyond her neighborhood and that she could be part of it. Of course, that conflicts with familial obligations.

Give director Peter Sohn and his scriptwriters John Hobert, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh credit for dealing with that aspect of immigrant experience. They also confront the bigotry with some skill and humor. They’ve even manage to intersperse some compelling romantic moments.

However, it takes a lot of energy to stay with “Elemental,” even with an adult frame of mind. Will children get it? Perhaps. But it will take a lot of effort on their part.

You admire the ambition in “Elemental,” but that has never been a Pixar problem. In this case, the story is.

George M. Thomas dabbles in movies and television for the Beacon Journal.

Review

Movie: “Elemental”

Cast: Mamoudou Athie, Leah Lewis, Catherine O’Hara, Wendi McLendon-Covey

Directed by: Peter Sohn

Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes

Rated: PG for some peril, thematic elements and brief language

Grade: C+

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Review: Pixar's 'Elemental' suffers from storytelling issues