Film

Elemental

Name: Elemental
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family, Romance
Released: 2023
Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey

Urban fantasy
Light-hearted

Pixar's vibrant buddy comedy about unlikely friendship across an elemental divide. When a spirited fire woman and a laid-back water guy team up to save their city, they discover chemistry goes both ways. Gorgeous world-building, genuine laughs, and a romance that earns its weight. Perfect for anyone who believes the best stories are about connection across difference.

TMDb rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love animated city-building worlds where the premise is a playful metaphor, and you enjoy a love story that treats differences like fire and water as a sweet, slightly awkward puzzle.

Skip it if you find the mix of sentiment and slapstick sitting awkwardly, or the rules of the element-world feel more like a sticker than a system you want to sink into.

What it asks of you: It runs 102 minutes with a bright, busy surface that rewards close watching, and it is gentle in its emotional beats rather than dark or heavy.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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Encanto2021

A gorgeously animated world where every frame is alive with colour and character detail. The heart of it—learning who you are beyond expectation—matches Elemental's emotional truth. Catchy without being cloying.

But Some viewers find the pacing uneven, and the family drama can overshadow the lighter moments.

The Lego Movie2014

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But The constant pop-culture references and rapid-fire jokes exhaust some viewers. Not interested in slowing down.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Elemental

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

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Inside Out2015

Pixar at its most imaginative about internal landscapes made external. Funny, touching, and visually stunning. If you loved Elemental's sense of how the world feels, this does the same for emotion.

But The third act shifts tone somewhat abruptly, and some find the message about sadness a little on-the-nose.

A Bug's Life1998

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But Pixar's earlier animation style feels dated now, and the plot follows a fairly familiar underdog arc.

Turning Red2022

A film about chaos and loyalty and learning to accept the wild, messy parts of yourself and others. Visual excess that serves the emotional story. Genuinely funny, especially if you were ever a teenage girl.

But The loudness and frenetic energy will feel exhausting to some. Not a calming watch.

Soul2020

Pixar reaching for something deeper about purpose and connection and what it means to show up for someone. Beautiful jazz-inflected score. Takes itself seriously in a way that lands.

But The philosophical bent and melancholy tone are a significant tonal shift from Elemental's warmth. Some find it ponderous.

Raya and the Last Dragon2021

A buddy story about trust and bridge-building in a fractured world. Southeast Asian-inspired visuals, genuine adventure, and a female friendship at its core that feels earned rather than obligatory.

But The worldbuilding is dense and occasionally unclear, and some plot points rely on convenient coincidence.

How to Train Your Dragon2010

A boy and a creature learn to understand each other across seemingly unbridgeable difference. The animation is exhilarating, the relationship is genuinely touching, and the humour lands without winking.

But The sequels divide opinion sharply, and the first film's emotional beats can feel predictable on repeat viewings.

The Owl House2020

The emotional architecture is identical: outsider finds home not in a place but in a person, and learns that the things that make you different are the things worth protecting.

A Disney animated series about a human girl and a witch finding belonging in each other and a magical world. Season one is buoyant fun; season two deepens into genuine emotional stakes. The romance between Luz and Amity is one of the most carefully earned queer love stories in animation.

But Disney's interference means the final season is rushed and incomplete. The show got cancelled before the story could finish properly, which will frustrate you.

Moana2016

Both films understand that the real journey is learning to understand someone completely different from yourself—and that this understanding is what saves everything. Both reach for genuinely earned joy rather than manufactured sentiment.

A voyage story where a girl and a demigod learn to see each other clearly, set in Polynesian mythology with astonishing visual design. Lin-Manuel Miranda's music is infectious. The romance is subtle and earned through genuine respect and growth.

But Some found the 'strong female character' angle overstate the emotional nuance. The pacing in the second act occasionally stalls.