"Elemental" is a charming romantic comedy from Disney-Pixar with stunning visuals and a touching message. More than just a rom-com, at the heart of Elemental's plot, is a compelling immigrant story. Ember's family immigrates from Fire Land to Element City for a chance at a new life. Though Element City promises a cultural melting pot, Ember's family finds it hard to mix with other cultures. Upon arrival, Ember's parents are even given new names, Bernie and Cinder, because their given names are too complicated for locals to pronounce. Bernie, in particular, has a certain disdain for water guys because of some events of his past. Bernie is dedicated to pursuing his dream of passing his store down to Ember so that she can have a successful future. But when Ember puts the business in grave danger with a little help from Wade Ripple (water guy and building inspector), she's forced to work with Wade to save her business. Despite all his "wet privilege," Wade has an incredibly caring heart and ignites a spark inside Ember that she never fully realized was there. 

I enjoyed the romantic aspect of the story, but the most moving parts were the immigrant narrative and the father-daughter relationship between Bernie and Ember. Bernie's desire to keep a piece of their cultural flame burning and not assimilate into their new world is a compelling story. It also makes him somewhat blind to his daughter's true wants. 

"Elemental" is brimming with thematic richness. Sure, some of the allegorical storytelling can be a bit on the nose, but I always appreciate children's movies that are fearless in confronting complex themes. And all of this is layered on top of Pixar's stellar animation and a moving Thomas Newman score.

I don't have high hopes for this movie's success at the box office. Even my sons weren't interested in going to the theater to see it. It's unfortunate because it's actually a really lovely family movie. 

— 4 / 5 ⭐