Pixar’s “Elemental” is all about cars again

Animations bring impossible, fantastical worlds to life in a way that live action just can’t emulate. Pixar is particularly adept at crafting the way these worlds look and function, whether it’s the Monster Society Monster Inc. or the inside of a 13-year-old’s mind from the inside to the outside. But rooting a world in reality while also incorporating more fantastical elements is a delicate balance—and ElementaryPixar’s latest film crosses that line.

It’s not the studio’s first film to do so. There’s another Pixar film with a mind-blowing world construction that detracts from the real heart of the story to the point where the big questions of how it all works are the only thing people are talking about years later. Elementary is the new cars.

[Ed. note: This post contains minor spoilers for Elemental.]

The core of Elementary is about intercultural relationships and the pressures of being a second-generation immigrant living up to their parents’ expectations while trying to figure out what it is you want out of life. The characters and their relationships are alive and fully fleshed out. Visually, Elementary is up there with from the inside to the outside how damn cool it looks. But every tender, heartfelt moment in Elementary immediately raises a million world-building questions. While fantasy films certainly don’t have to consider every single aspect of their setting, there comes a point where the cool aesthetic and zany elements undermine a story’s core.

cars actually does it a little better than Elementary, if only because the story itself doesn’t go very deep. What does it cost cars In the long run, it seems like it’s well-established our World. It’s just for some reason a version of our world populated by cars, so it has one car popeinexplicable baby cars and Car Dinosaur. There might have been one World War II car version. These details, seemingly designed to ground the world in something familiar, only end up making the whole story even weirder if you think about it too much.

Elementary has the luxury of being set in a fantasy world untouched by mankind’s automotive achievements, and thus does not rely on internet theories as to whether specific historical events took place in the real world. But there are still many big questions about the setting that undermine the emotional rhythm of the film.

The most frustrating part revolves around the romance between fireman Ember and merman Wade. History makes it clear over and over again that elements don’t mix, especially in relationships. Ember struggles to get around Element City without being splashed with water (which puts out some of her flame and could potentially be fatal) or accidentally setting people or their belongings on fire. When Ember and Wade meet, it becomes clear very early on that they cannot touch. Wade could erase Ember, or Ember could vaporize Wade.

But she’s been spotted holding a paper brochure — which she later casually burns with her hands when she’s finished with it — and regularly handles cardboard boxes without setting them on fire. The big emotional moment when she and Wade Do Holding hands is moving and touching…but she’s touched so many other things up until this moment with no issues that it all feels a little drained by the end.

The physical interaction between Ember and Wade is the prime example of the type of contradictions present throughout the film. Are the Earth people (from which trees or bushes usually grow) offended that the Fire people regularly snack on wood? The water and air people can essentially scatter their parts and reappear, but why doesn’t that work the same way with the fire and earth people? Why are inter-elemental relationships so taboo when it seems like air, earth and water mix well? After a bad storm, why would Ember’s parents leave Fireland for a city that’s even more hostile and about water? I hate to poke holes in a fun, wacky setting, but when the film’s emotional basis revolves around some of these inconsistencies, the story’s odd and inviting world-building actually puts a damper on what could be a very engaging film.

As a resident of Polygon cars Apologist, I want to acknowledge that none of this is necessarily a bad thing. Over time, these world-building questions might turn into funny quirks about the film, as do all the wacky questions about it cars have now become an integral part of the viewing experience. The best part of any new Cars story is trying to figure out what weird world-building element will be added to canon next. ElementaryHowever, it might take more time to reach the level of “Sure, why the hell not?”. It’s a deeper and more nuanced story than the Cars franchise ever was, so the flaws in logic burn even more.

Elementary is in cinemas now.