'Elemental'

Elemental is a 2023 Disney Pixar movie that is focused on Ember and Wade, two unlikely residents who discover they have much more in common than they realize. We see a strong representative cast, as two diverse actors voice Ember and Wade, the two lead roles. Leah Lewis is an Asian actress who voices Ember. Mamoudou Athie is an African actor who voices Wade. Various People of Color and Women voice supporting roles.

The setting takes place in Element City where the residents are based on the classical elements: air, fire, water, and earth. The characters’ names are also based on the elements themselves. Wade is a clue to the water element and Ember is related to the fire element. The plot is about two different residents bonding in a world that says different elements cannot mix together.

The elemental characters are brought to life in their anthropomorphic forms resembling humans, as they have human traits such as facial features and expressions. In addition, the residents wear clothes and stand upright like humans. Since the characters are based on the elements, they also have magical powers and shapeshifting abilities.

Ember and Wade feel that they cannot be together because of their physical appearances and places in the social categorization of Element City. Ember is encouraged to find what she really wants in life, as her dreams should not be interfered with by societal categorization. The two main characters, who are fire and water elements, are based on the concept that fire and water never mix. However, as they interact, both realize that societal categorization is keeping them apart and bond over their biggest desires in life. This conflict is related to people of different ethnicities and racial backgrounds in real life; the societal concept of people of different races being kept apart is emphasized in this Pixar film.