ELEMENTAL (2023)

By: Rizzah Nicole G. Maurin        UPHUMSScreen.com 11:50 AM      March 2, 2026 

Elemental (2023), directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Pixar Animation Studios, presents itself as a colorful animated romantic fantasy, where fire, water, air, and earth live together in one big city. However, beneath its playful surface lies a layered exploration of class, migration, identity, and emotional repression. The movie highlights fairness, internal family struggles, and in being yourself — carrying a deeper social commentary. Let us dive deeper to the movie using some literary lenses and techniques.

One of the most obvious techniques being reflected in the movie is technoculture. The infrastructures — public systems and architectures — of the Element City only favor water residents while oppressing the fire citizens. This is shown when most of the water citizens reside in highrise buildings and well-placed apartments whereas fire citizens live under the bridge or being the informal settlers — showing unfairness. From a marxist lens, this highlights Marx and Engels' argument that material condition shape social power. Ember's family runs a small shop and works tirelessly to survive in an environment that doesn't suit them. Their economic vulnerability highlights class struggle. The film subtly critiques how systems normalize inequality under the guise of order and progress.

The slow-kindled romance between Ember and Wade centers on irony. Fire and water are believed incompatible because they only extinguish each other's existence, yet they form a deep connection, caring for each other. This challenges the norms imposed by society that only if they're of the same element can they be compatible. Their relationship recalls classic "forbidden love" narratives, creating a layer of intertextuality that reflects old literary traditions, reshaping this into modern story about multicultural acceptance. The irony reveals how prejudice is often rooted in beliefs rather than reality.

At the same time, we can examine the film through a psychoanalytical lens. Freud argues that repression of desire often produces emotional tension within the self.  Ember feels torn between honoring her family's expectations and in pursuing her own path. With her hot-temper and literal bursts of flame when she gets too upset, symbolize repressed and bottled frustrations. Fire, in this sense, becomes a metaphor for passion that cannot be contained. Wade, by contrast, embodies emotional openness which allows Ember to confront her hidden desires or internal conflict.

The movie also feels magical. Using magic realism, it further strengthens its thematic depth. The elements behave according to human emotional logic rather than strict science: water floods with tears, fire glows with intensity. These exaggerations are playful, yet they make abstract issues like discrimination and assimilation visible. Rather than directly presenting social critique, the film filters it through fantasy, making us understand complex ideas in a simple yet meaningful way.

Lastly, interpretation shifts from different viewers, based on their own experience, aligning with the Reader-Response theory. Viewers may see it as a story about immigration struggles; others may relate generational pressure or interracial relations or simply learning to follow your heart. The film does not impose one fixed meaning, but instead highly encourage personal engagement.

In the end, Elemental blends playful storytelling with serious social commentary. Through technoculture, irony, and magic realism, and when viewed through Marxist and Psychoanalytic lenses, the film reveals itself as more than a children’s animation. Elemental teaches that even if people seem very different, they can still understand and love each other. It reminds us to be kind, brave, and true to who we are. It becomes a reflection on belonging, power, and the emotional cost of crossing boundaries.