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Age Guide6+
MPAA RatingPG
Year2023
Runtime1h 41m
StudioPixar Animation Studios
DirectorPeter Sohn
Cast
Leah LewisMamoudou AthieRonnie del CarmenShila OmmiWendi McLendon-Covey
AnimationAdventureComedyDramaFamilyRomance
Elemental
2023
In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents coexist, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow water man discover an elemental connection.
Content Guide
⚔️
Violence & ScarinessNone
Violence & Scariness
💬
LanguageNone
Language
👀
Sex & NudityNone
Sex & Nudity
🍷
SubstancesNone
Substances
😱
Frightening ScenesNone
Frightening Scenes
💚
Positive MessagesExcellent
Positive Messages
⭐
Role ModelsExcellent
Role Models
What's in this movie
- •Mild peril involving flooding
- •Immigration and assimilation themes
- •A father's sacrifice and health decline depicted
- •Romantic tension between characters from different 'worlds'
🌍 Cultural & Representation Concerns
Moderate
- •The fire-people-as-immigrants metaphor is the film's explicit central allegory and is handled with care
- •Some critics felt the allegory was so heavy-handed that it reduced characters to metaphors for immigration status rather than letting them be fully realized individuals
- •The fire neighborhood as an immigrant enclave where characters speak their 'fire language' at home maps very directly onto real immigrant experiences
Educational Value
An immigrant family story wrapped in elemental metaphor. Explores the tension between honoring your heritage and forging your own path.
💬 Pause & Talk — Discussion Topics
- 1.What does the fire community's separation from others tell us about segregation?
- 2.How does Ember's relationship with her parents show both love and pressure?
- 3.Is it possible to fully honor your parents' sacrifices while also living your own life?