Imagine all the people living in peace

Fire, Water, Earth, and Air live together in harmony. We hear messages of opposites attracting. But we are to marry someone with a similar background! We hear conflicting messages all the time about who we should marry, and what type of relationships work best. In this Pixar Elemental Christian Movie Review & Parent Guide, we explore these topics and give you the information you need to make informed viewing decisions with your children.

Imagine Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner meets Zootopia, and you have Element City. However, there may be content that concerns you as a parent, and I will detail that for you. You went searching for Elemental Christian Reviews, and you will find the information you need below.

Pixar Elemental Christian Review

Synopsis from Studio:

Set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together, Elemental introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.

My Synopsis:

Sometimes, we have our lives all planned out for ourselves, and then things happen to thwart those plans. We meet someone, stumble onto a different path, or shock ourselves with the things that light us up. 

Ember Lumen is a 20-something, first-generation fire woman. Her immigrant parents came to Element City before she was born, but they have held onto the blue flame that they brought with them and the other traditions handed down.

Ember is all set to take over her father’s convenience store until she meets Wade Ripple. That meeting sets a path in motion that Ember couldn’t ever imagine. Will Ember take over the family business, or will love change the course of her life?

Pixar Elemental Review: What Parents Want to Know

In this parent’s guide, I give you the information you need before making viewing decisions with your children. Be aware that this is a romance, and this makes Elemental Pixar’s first rom-com. Therefore, most of the content surrounds the budding relationship between Fire and Water.

Language:

While there is no foul language, there are some sayings and phrases to be aware of – you know what they are implying with the phrases.

Lazy ash is said, as well as “fluffin leak.”

Dang is uttered.

Violence:

There is minimal violence. Ember loses her temper often and explodes causing havoc. There are several scenes where things explode or break. There is a flood that destroys everything in its path.

Spiritual:

The phrase act of god is said twice. 

There is a smoke-reading matchmaker. The ritual that is done will tell the couple if the person they are with is their true love. The matchmaker says she can “smell true love.”

A reference is made about praying to the blue flame. The blue flame was brought to Elemental City from their homeland by Ember’s parents. The blue flame is protected at all costs.

Sexual Content:

Some sexual innuendos or phrases were cringy. 

There is a scene where two apple trees were picking apples off each other. The one tree says, “Nothing weird here. Just a little pruning.” But the scene was intended to be weird.

One character says, “I just didn’t know she would be so smoky.” Another says, “You’re so hot,” and “You’re smoking.”

When Ember is leaving, her dad says, “We will have more time for hanky panky.”

The main couple has a “steamy” scene where they touch. The implications as fire woman touches water guy, making it boil, giving off sexual energy. My older son just said it felt creepy.

During the end credits, there are clips of couples at a ball game with a Kiss Cam. They kiss, and the phrase Too Hot flashes.

LGBTQ+ content: There is an extremely brief encounter over family dinner with a lesbian couple – one character introduces his sister and her girlfriend. While it appears they are a same-sex couple, the person who plays the sister has said she is non-binary. 

Other Adult Content:

Racial themes: There is a sign that says, “No Fire Allowed.”  When a grandma is dying, she says, “Promise me you will marry fire.” The implication is that you don’t marry outside of your kind. People say things such as “go back to Fireland.” 

A person says, “You speak so well and clear” which is something offensive often said to people of different backgrounds.

Lying:

Throughout the entire movie, Ember lies to her father when she leaves Fire Town to visit Wade. She says, “my dad would boil you alive,” and Wade responds, “He doesn’t have to know.” Later her dad says to her, “you’ve proved I can trust you.”

A woman is shown dying. 

The Pixar short, Carl’s Date, does have some potty humor. Carl’s dog gives him advice on what to do on a date, such as smelling her backside, letting her smell your backend, and wag her tail. 

Positive Elements:

Ember wants to respect and honor her parents. She wants their approval, and this is why she lies to them. 

Ember and Wade work several times to try to save Bernie’s shop. 

Overall, the graphics and imagery are beautiful. The way water and fire move throughout the movie is spectacular. Additionally, the background scenes in Element City are very pretty, with great colors. 

Teachable Moments & Homeschool-Worthy Content:

The blessing: In this movie, Bernie’s dad refused to give his blessing. In the Jewish or Christian faith, a father giving a blessing to a child is a big deal. To have your father speak God’s word over you acknowledges the gift of the blessing. Praying and speaking life over your children is fantastic for you and them. 

The Ancient Greeks believed there were four elements. These Elements of Matter were Earth, Water, Air & Fire. 

Later, Aristotle added a fifth element, aether. 

Talk about how we now know the states of matter, solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. 

Start to go over the different elements in the periodic table. Talk to your children about how “science” has expanded and changed to fit what we learn, but how the Bible is unchanging.

Discuss the fire elements people and water elements people. What is anthropomorphism? According to Wikipedia, anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Why do movies use inanimate objects as human characters? What other movies have main characters that have human qualities? Examples: the toys in Toy Story, the sea life in Finding Nemo, or the dinosaurs in The Good Dinosaur.

For older children, compare the star-crossed lovers in Romeo and Juliet with Ember and Wade. How are these characters similar and how are they different?

Finally, talk about racial issues with your children at home. Why is there a racial divide, and why is it worse in some areas?

Pixar Elemental Movie Christian Review: Viewing Recommendations

While many are calling this movie a rom-com, it is not a comedy in any sense of the word. I don’t remember laughing at anything. In fact, I kept waiting for something funny to be said, and toward the end thought, “Who called this a comedy?” However, it definitely has moments of romance and is a love story.

Others have talked about the puns and sight gags, but I really didn’t see the humor in it.

Furthermore, on a scale of Finding Dory to Turning Red (both rated PG), Elemental sits right in the center as far as objectionable content and scariness factor.

The visuals are great, and this Pixar film really made the elements of fire and water come to life. However, overall the storyline is just so-so. I don’t see this movie being a blockbuster, but children will like it. My viewing recommendations are for ages six and up.

About the Movie:

Rating: PG Thematic Elements/Some Peril/Brief Language

Runtime: 1 hour, 43 minutes

Release Date: June 16, 2023

Genre: Kids & Family/Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Animation

Director: Peter Sohn

Producer: Denise Ream

Writer John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, Brenda Hsueh

Soundtrack: Thomas Newman (cousin of Randy Newman)

Cast of Pixar Elemental:

Ember Lumen voiced by Leah Lewis

Wade Rippled voiced by Mamoudou Athie

Clod voiced by Mason Wertheimer

Gale Cumulus voiced by Wendi McLendon-Covey

Brook Ripple voiced by Catherine O’Hara

Alan Ripple voiced by Matthew Yang King

Cinder Lumen voiced by Shila Ommi 

Fern Grouchwood voiced by Joe Pera

Bernie Lumen voiced by Ronnie del Carmen

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is there an end-credit scene or a mid-credit scene in Pixar Elemental?

While there is not an end-credit scene or mid-credit scene, there are images that are mixed in with the credits. Additionally, at the end of the credits, there are “in memory of” and photos of the director’s parents.

Is There a Non-Binary Character in Elemental?

When we watched the movie, our family was certain Wade said, “This is my sister and her girlfriend.” However, according to the actress who plays the sister, this is the non-binary character. Also, people are reporting that books introduce this character as non-binary.

When Can I Watch Elemental at home?

Elemental is available for digital download starting on August 15, 2023. Furthermore, the date for Blu-Ray and DVD is September 26, 2023.

Is Pixar Elemental streaming on Netflix, Disney+ or other streaming platforms?

Pixar Elemental was released into movie theaters on June 16, 2023. It was announced that it would begin streaming on September 13, 2023, on Disney Plus.

When will Pixar Elemental be streaming?

Disney Pixar Elemental will begin streaming September 13, 2023. This is 89 days after the theatrical release. It will be released to Disney+. Additionally, expect it to stream with additional fees on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube.

What is the overall message of this movie?

The message of Pixar Elemental involves racism and immigrants. The director, Peter Sohn, said the storyline is based on his relationship with his wife. He is Korean, and she is Italian-American. He kept the relationship from his parents because they expected him to marry a Korean woman. 

Is there a short before Pixar Elemental?

Yes, the short is entitled Carl’s Date. It is based on Carl Fredrickson (Ed Asner) from Pixar Up and involves getting ready for a date. 

Ed Asner passed away in 2021.

When was the last short before a Pixar movie?

The last short was shown before The Incredibles 2 in 2018 and it was entitled Bao. Bao is based on a boy and a dumpling.

The last short before a Pixar movie was before Onward in 2020, but it was not a Pixar short. It was based on the Simpsons and was entitled Playdate with Destiny.

Is Disney Pixar Elemental rated PG-13?

No. Elemental’s rating from the Motion Picture Association rating is PG.

How old is Ember in Elemental?

In the movie, they say Ember is twenty-something. However, she is said to be 22 in Elemental fandom. Furthermore, the actress that plays Ember is 26.

Are Wade and Ember dating?

Ember and Wade begin dating at the end of Elemental and are an official couple.

Who is Ember’s boyfriend in the movie Elemental?

Wade, who is a water element, is Ember’s boyfriend.

What is Wade Ripple’s job?

Wade is a city inspector. He enters the Fireplace shop through broken water pipes in the store’s basement, and then he reports the violations in the fireplace shop. Ember tries to get to City Hall to stop Wade from turning in the tickets, and they two end up teaming up together to try to save Ember’s family business.

What have critics and audiences thought of Pixar Elemental?

First, this movie received a lukewarm reception at its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May of 2023.

Next, it currently has a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 74% which is not bad, but it isn’t the score Pixar was hoping it would received. However, the audience score is 93%, but it does appear to have a low number of ratings from the audience. In fact, only Cars 2 and Cars 3 have a lower critic RT score. (Is this because people have given up on the Disney/Pixar animated film?)

Finally, the IMDb score is a 7.0.

Have you watched this romantic comedy yet? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.