Review: Pixar's 'Elemental' is a gorgeously animated story of earth, air, fire and water — and a romance and an immigrant story, all in one

“Elemental,” the latest animated gem from Disney-Pixar, is an entertaining, tender look at cultural crossover, a romance that’s also the tale of a second-generation daughter trying to follow her heart and honor her family at the same time.

The action is set in Element City, a place where the inhabitants each represent, and are made from, one of the four classic elements — earth, air, water and fire — and display traits distinct to those identities. Air people can be a little dazed (head in the clouds, as it were). Earth folks are eco-conscious. Water people just “go with the flow,” and fire people can be, well, hot-headed.

That’s certainly the case with Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis), who lives in Freetown with her parents (voiced by Ronnie Del Carmen and Sheila Omni) and is working to keep her temper in check so the family can see she’s worthy of inheriting Dad’s store, the Fireplace, in the heart of Freetown.

Ember and her family are strong metaphors for the immigrant experience. Ember has seen the struggles in her lower-class neighborhood, and the discrimination against fire people. And when Ember meets Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie), whose water people are Element City’s upper-income bracket, everyone around them make it clear that elements should never mix.

Director Peter Sohn, who made Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur,” and his three screenwriters let this fanciful story play out, as Ember works to hide Wade from her parents, while also hiding her feelings for him on the inside. And, as Ember prepares to take over Dad’s store, Wade helps her see that she needs to pursue her own path, even if it upsets her father.

The visuals are, as is common with Pixar, gorgeous. Pay special attention to the way the characters’ elemental nature is manifested in the complicated animation. Ember looks like she isn’t just a plastic figure covered in fire; no, with this animation, Ember is pure fire — and so is the movie surrounding them.

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‘Elemental’

★★★1/2

Opens Friday, June 16, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG for some peril, thematic elements and brief language. Running time: 104 minutes, plus a 7-minute short film, “Carl’s Date.”