By SHAH SHAMSHIRI
23 years into the new millennium, animated movies and cartoons are no longer child’s play. These visual offerings have also become staples for grown-ups.
Bearing countless life lessons and stories for the general public, such films have also become tools to convey positive messages.
Joining this bandwagon of cleverly made animated films, is Disney and Pixar’s latest offering, called Elemental.
Truthfully, the film is actually a very simple masterpiece with a similarly easy story line. However, it is the way the movie pans out and the message portrayed in the flick that makes this cartoon a very delightful surprise.
So, it revolves around an imaginary world made up of people or beings which consist of the four elements, namely earth, fire, air, and water.
Then enter Element city, a metropolitan hub of people from all the four elements. In this city, beings of all four elements learn to live together despite the differences in their physical attributes.
Amid this magical mix of elements lives Ember a being of the fire element who is trying very hard to continue her father’s life-long legacy of running a business. At the same time comes Wade, a being of the water element who is obliged to shut Ember’s family business due to some rules which were not met by the city’s municipal standards.
The two do not hit it off so well at the beginning, but as time goes by Ember and Wade begin to develop an unexpected special bond between them.
As they learn to celebrate each other’s differences, they begin to create a tale of their own making it the centre of the movie’s storyline.
As mentioned earlier, though the storyline is not complicated, the lessons shared through this film make it extraordinary.
From respecting foreign cultures, beliefs and ways of living, Elemental is also riding on the whole trend of being inclusive and trying to teach viewers the beauty of acceptance and understanding different perspectives.
Coupled with some mind-blowing CGI and visual effects courtesy of the graphic gods at Pixar, the movie makes for a great family or friendly outing!
The film also has a nice soundtrack to boot making it a successful animation masterpiece.
Elemental is currently showing in all Malaysian cinemas since June 22nd 2023.
