‘Elemental’ is a sentimental and stunning movie

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's
Category: Television and Streaming

 

 

Disney’s Elemental is an animated film with heart. It’s sweet, sentimental, and visually stunning.

The story takes place in Element City where Fire, Water, Earth, and Air live together, and focuses on a fire girl named Ember. She has a hot temper (no pun intended) and can easily set off a blaze. Ember is preparing to take over her parents’ shop and only has to prove she is worthy and capable. When she does that her father will retire and Ember will be in charge. In the meantime she is a dutiful daughter trying her best.

Next, enter Wade, a water guy who is fun-loving, a little whacky, but has a heart of gold. Wade falls in love with Ember and even though she won’t admit it, she falls in love with him. But can their relationship work? They originally joined forces to solve a big problem for Ember, but they discovered there was much more to their friendship.

Now, we all know that water extinguishes fire. So how are these two going to maintain their relationship?

Ember’s mother is able to tell true love when she sees it. People come to her to get their love fortunes read. What she finds, to her chagrin, is that the love Ember and Wade share is true love. But how can that be? 

Ember and Wade show that two people from different backgrounds, different lifestyles, and plain old differences in their makeup can actually make a relationship work. And they discover how to sustain that relationship built on love.

The visuals in the movie are absolutely beautiful. Putting the story aside, just watching the beauty of Element City is enough to rank this an A+. But the story does add to the enjoyment and entertainment as the two main characters capture the hearts of not only each other, but also the viewers. And keep a lookout for cute little Clod, an earth boy.

There are some great background bonus features available that look at the origin of the story, Element City and the characters. Creating Element City was a stroke of genius, and the animators did themselves proud with this one. There are also several deleted scenes. Yes, even in animated films there are scenes that never make it all the way. 

A really delightful bonus is a short film titled Carl’s Date. This is a cute story of Carl Fredricksen from the delightful 2009 film Up. Dug (the talking dog) now lives with his poppa Carl, who finds himself in an upsetting situation when he is asked out on a date. This is his first date since Ellie died. What should he do? How should he dress? With the help and support of Dug, Carl manages to prepare for this next step in his life. 

Elemental is now available on Digital (check out MoviesAnywhere) and will soon be available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K September 26, 2023. This is a movie that has to be seen several times to catch all that is going on. The little underlying tidbits are adorable (when Wade starts a wave at a sports game, for instance) and there is so much going on with the visuals. Once is not enough. 

Elemental is rated PG for some peril, thematic elements (no pun), and brief language. (It should be a G, in my opinion as young kids have truly embraced this film.) Also, check out The Art of Elemental companion book.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.