Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 6+
Heartfelt, romantic fable about immigrant experience.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
some
Many explosive bursts of fire, especially when Ember loses her temper. A couple of upsetting scenes show how a natural disaster involving water destroyed a lot of Fireland's homes and endangered its people. Rushing water/large waves also put characters in danger, nearly destroy the fire community in Element City, and seem to kill one character (spoiler alert: they aren't dead!). In general, fire characters can cause damage to other elements if they get too close, and water characters can snuff out (usually temporarily, but occasionally for good) fire characters. A dying grandmother's wish is recalled (she seems to disintegrate into ash when her time is up). Yelling, arguments.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a little
A married couple hold hands and embrace. Lots of romantic moments between main characters Ember and Wade. They spend a lot of time together; a few pivotal scenes of them trying to touch and then successfully touching, dancing, embracing. They kiss briefly. Two trees who are spotted plucking fruit from each other realize they've been caught and say it's "just a little pruning," which is repeated later in a jokey way. A few other couples are spotted on dates holding hands, hugging and even kissing (including in the end-credit sequence). A character says "you're so hot" and "you're smoking," but he means it literally, not in the suggestive way the fire character initially believes. A young tree character flirts with Ember and later another girl.
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Language
a little
"Dang," "what the...," and a couple of curse-word stand-ins, like "ash" ("lazy ash") and "fluffing," etc. Also "stupid," "crazy," "jerk," "dang," "oh gosh," "holy dewdrop," "God" (as an exclamation), "hanky panky," and element-based insults like "fireball" and "cloudpuffs." Language that makes it clear that other elements discriminate against fire people -- like "you don't have an accent," "go back to Fireland," and "you don't belong here."
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Products & Purchases
very little
Nothing on-screen, but plenty of off-screen merchandise tie-ins include apparel, toys, figurines, games, books, and household goods.
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Positive Messages
a lot
Focuses on importance of compassion, empathy, and perseverance. Encourages honest communication between parents and children, as well as romantic partners. Following your dreams while remaining loyal to your family and honoring your parents is a major theme, as is idea that people should be sensitive to others' cultural/racial background, upbringing, and class. Explores the tension between privilege and duty.
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Positive Role Models
a lot
Ember is a loyal, loving daughter to devoted parents who believe her dream is to take over the family business. She struggles with her temper, but she uses mindfulness techniques to control it (with mixed results). She isn't particularly open-minded at first but learns to appreciate the rest of the elements and how the Fire folks can learn to collaborate and coexist with them. Wade is sensitive, emotional, and kind. He and his family cry easily and are more open with one another. He comes from a position of privilege but is open-minded (and open-hearted). Ember's parents have sacrificed a lot for her, and they want her to have a successful, happy life.
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Diverse Representations
some
Diverse voice cast includes Chinese American actor Leah Lewis; Mamoudou Athie, who's Black; Filipino actor Ronnie del Carmen; Iranian-born actor Shila Ommi. Both director Peter Sohn and writer Brenda Hsueh are Asian American. The elements (fire, water, earth, air) are essentially stand-ins for human racial/ethnic immigrant and refugee groups in a caste system (with fire, whose cultural markers seem meant to suggest those of Middle Eastern countries, seemingly the outcasts). Characters use unwelcoming phrases that have parallels with racist/classist statements -- e.g., "elements don't mix," "go back to Fireland," "Fire doesn't belong here," etc. Ember's parents are given new names by officials who can't pronounce their real names when they first arrive in Element City, and a water character says "you speak so well and clearly" to Ember, who clearly considers it a microaggression, since she grew up speaking the same language as the water family. (The water character looks embarrassed by his comment.) Wade has a queer relative whose girlfriend is introduced to Ember at a family dinner.
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Educational Value
a little
Even though it's a fantasy, the movie serves as an allegory to teach viewers about the immigrant experience, discrimination, segregation, and cross-cultural relationships.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pixar's Elemental is a beautifully animated fable about the immigrant experience. It's set in Element City, where fire, earth, water, and air people coexist, but fire people are mistreated and discriminated against. That makes it hard for fiery Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) to trust watery Wade (Mamoudou Athie), but as they work together to save her family's store, Ember starts to open her mind to the idea of cross-element friendship (and more!) while also teaching Wade about the injustices the fire folks have faced. There's more romance here than in non-princess Disney Pixar films, but Ember and Wade are young adults, not kids or teens. Characters hold hands, flirt, embrace, dance, touch, and kiss briefly. Language includes discriminatory comments said to fire folks (such as "go back to Fireland"), as well as insults like "stupid" and "jerk" and swearing stand-ins (e.g., "lazy ash"). Diversity and immigration are major themes of the story, as are prejudice; the importance of communication, empathy, and compassion; and the unique challenges faced by the children of immigrants and refugees. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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Elemental
- Parents say (59)
- Kids say (60)
age 8+
Based on 59 parent reviews
HankHill Parent of 3 and 6-year-old
September 23, 2023
age 13+
Fun film that's not really for sub 13 y/os
Preface: I come from a religion that accepts and loves LGBTQ+ persons, but also believes the sexuality is a gift of God that is to be affirmed as it is exercised within the legal and spiritual covenant of a loving and monogamous marriage between one man and one woman.Review: The film is visually stunning and addresses the long running question, can people of different cultures be together? Why this film gets a 13+ rating is it features a same sex couple in a pivitol scene as well as a non-binary character. I don't believe children under 13 need to be exposed to this. Additionally, the film has too many almost swear words moments and mean language. This is very typical of modern Disney movies nowadays. Otherwise, fun film.
APS12345 Parent of 6-year-old
October 11, 2023
age 10+
This movie attempts to address immigration, discrimination and xenophobia. While I appreciate the intent, the result is jarring and problematic for a young audience. There are multiple depictions of discrimination and derogatory remarks, primarily made against the fire people. The movie starts with the fire people landing in element city and having their names changed because they aren’t pronounceable by the majority. No one will rent housing to the fire people. The fire people build their own separate community since they aren’t welcome in element city. A core plot point is how Ember wasn’t allowed to go to a museum exhibit as a child because no fire people were allowed inside. Wade’s privilege allows him freedom to express his emotions and move easily through the world. The plot often follows a white savior trope, with Wade’s family connections being what gets Ember “out” of fire town. Because she is talented, because she is “discovered” by the water people, she gets to follow her path. While the movie could perhaps be a jumping off point for a thoughtful conversation with older kids about immigration, identity and belonging, I think 6 is too young. There are too many directly discriminatory comments which don’t come with a sufficient moral signal to the audience. Most of the discrimination just happens and there is limited/no discussion of the cost or wrongness of it. For example, when Wade’s uncle declares that Ember “speaks so well and clear” (a common micro aggression against immigrants and Black people) the follow up response and body language is too subtle to be caught by most viewers, esp. kids. I was shocked to see this phrase used in a children’s film. But I was even more shocked to see it used without a strong rebuttal or any moral lesson. The dinner party goes on. Ember ends up saying she had a great time. I could go on but, to summarize: it feels like Pixar threw a bunch of ideas about the immigrant experience at this movie and didn’t think through how viewing them without appropriate context might internalize negative stereotypes for young viewers. If parents want to watch this with their kids, I suggest they proactively use it as an opportunity to have conversations about immigration an discrimination. Parents should be prepared to do the work to fill in the gaps in what appears on screen.
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See all 59 parent reviews
What's the Story?
ELEMENTAL is set in Element City, where water, earth, air, and fire people live together -- but the fire folks have been discriminated against and mostly live separately from the other elements, in their own community. The movie opens with a fire couple arriving at an Ellis Island-like processing center, where they're dubbed Cinder (voiced by Shila Ommi) and Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) Lumen because the agent who helps them can't understand their actual names. They eventually have a baby girl named Ember and buy a rundown building that they fix up to be both their home and their livelihood: a thriving convenience store that becomes a neighborhood hub. Ember grows up knowing that she'll eventually run the shop, although she has trouble tamping down her temper with difficult customers. As a young adult, Ember (Leah Lewis) is on the cusp of proving that she's ready to manage the store, but one of her hotheaded outbursts causes Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), an emotional water guy, to get pulled in through the pipes. Wade turns out to be a government inspector, who feels duty bound to file a pile of citations, which will close the shop if they go through. Determined to keep the crisis a secret from her aging parents, Ember teams up with Wade to find a way to save the store. During their time together, they encourage each other and start to wonder whether different elements can mix, despite what they've always been taught.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (59):
Kids say (60):
Director Peter Sohn's beautifully animated allegory is a simple but sweet story that brings the immigrant journey and the first-generation experience to vibrant life. While the film's plot isn't quite as robust as those of Disney Pixar's most famous adventures, Elemental does touchingly delve into the challenges and triumphs of being the child of refugees and growing up immersed in a culturally homogenous community. It shows both the comfort and strength of being around your own people and the fact that wider society can be prejudiced. Ember's dilemma -- whether to sacrifice her own feelings in order to honor her parents or to follow her own desires but risk hurting those who raised her -- is authentic, if oversimplified. The nuances are right: Ember wants to be a "good daughter," to fulfill her duty, to take up the mantle from her stressed and tired father. But as she explores Element City, gets to know Wade, and discovers her more artistic side (she's a talented glass blower), she must figure out whether her future contains more possibilities than she imagined.
Lewis and Athie are both well cast, embodying two opposing examples of young adulthood -- one focused on pleasing their parents by pursuing a specific goal and the other willing to flit from job to job until they find "their thing." The parents' voices -- including Wade's widowed mom, voiced by the inimitable Catherine O'Hara -- are also expressive and humorous. And the movie's dating aspects are tender, if a little obvious. Wade and Ember's opposites-attract chemistry is funny until it's clear that Ember really is concerned that her family will disown her if she dates a "water guy." Wade's family, by contrast, is immediately Team Ember, heartily welcoming her (albeit a bit awkwardly, thanks to the clueless old uncle who makes a mildly racist comment). The main characters' slow-burn (pun intended) relationship aside, Elemental has astonishingly gorgeous and detailed animation. The various element folks are vividly colorful, with visceral textures and fantastic (and fantastical) landscapes and movements. The glass-making scenes are especially memorable, and the water-based disasters devastating. While the littlest viewers may not pick up on all of the story's nuances, they'll still understand the importance of inclusion, family, and love.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Elemental has to say about the immigrant experience. How does Ember's situation embody what life can be like for immigrants' children?
Some of the movie's scenes are sad or scary. Is it OK for a kids' movie to not be cheerful and silly all the time? How much scary stuff can young kids handle?
The characters learn and demonstrate character strengths like compassion, perseverance, and empathy. Why are these important?
Discuss the quality of the animation in the movie. How do the details of the elements stand out?
How are race and discrimination addressed in the movie? What parallels can you see to our real life?
Movie Details
- In theaters: June 16, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: September 26, 2023
- Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen
- Director: Peter Sohn
- Inclusion Information: Asian directors, Female actors, Black actors, Female writers, Asian writers
- Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Friendship
- Character Strengths: Communication, Compassion, Empathy, Perseverance
- Run time: 103 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: some peril, thematic elements and brief language
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: August 3, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Elemental
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