Developing an impossible relationship between Fireboy and Watergirl

For scholars of archetypal psychology (one of the branches of deep analytical psychology), the pantheon of the Greek gods is key to being able to get closer to the personal and collective psyche. Through the myths that make it up, we can delineate preforms that determine some of our behaviors, motivations, complexes, and dynamics. Among the multiple deities that adorn Olympus, there is one that is held in special esteem by all for its wisdom and antiquity: Hestia, the goddess of the heart and of the home fire. Because she is her first daughter to be born from the union of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, there are almost no representations of her and the myths of her where she appears are counted... but, despite this, she is always present.

It is said that Hestia is the one that keeps the collective memory so that the family sinks its roots and what allows the groups to become communities; When you wanted to tell a story, the first thing you said was "let's start with Hestia". She was represented with a burning fire in the center of the city (marking a kind of Omphalos). Every time a city was to be founded, she took a torch from this fire and transported herself to the new space to perpetuate the Tradition .. In the same way, when someone built his house, he took part of this bonfire with a torch and thus transformed his domicile into a “home”. This sacred emanation guaranteed the happiness and union of all; she fed the hearth of the temples and houses, the most important place because it was where offerings were presented to the gods, a space to religare (gather).

Following in the wake of Hestia and approaching such tricky issues as migration, the complexities of family lineage, xenophobia, the search for identity, impossible love, prejudice and social criticism, Elemental, the new Desura, Disney and Pixar movies. Set in a world where the elements (fire, water, air and earth ) are anthropomorphized and living in harmony, the story begins with the arrival of the parents of Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) to Element City, a nation built by different “waves” of immigrant elements. As expected, the city was designed for the comfort of its first inhabitants (water, land and air, which make up the majority), displacing newcomers (those of the fire element) into ghettos. Repeating the pattern of any up-and-coming immigrant family, Ember's parents Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Omni) began living on the outskirts of Element City ., building from scratch —and with their own hands— a business where they sold products designed for the inhabitants of the fire element (such as logs, fuel, crystals, etc). As time went by, the igneous inhabitants of this place increased, making the business go from strength to strength (yes, working 24/7). The problems begin when Bernie wants to retire and leave the reins of the place to Ember who, despite his talent, constantly struggles with her temper problems in the face of insufferable customers who make her explode —literally. It is thanks to this that he accidentally meets Wade (Mamoudou Athie), an inspector of the water element who endangers the family business of the Lumen.

Like other productions like Inside Out, Soul or Zootopia, the first thing that captivates us about Elemental is the construction of its universe. Element City is a bright and colorful place where hundreds of humanized elements lead a life similar to ours (they work, attend basketball games, go to museums, shop in stores, etc.), but maintain the behavior of their essence. The result is a peculiar world with particular rules, which allows us to understand the affinity between elements (water, air, earth) and the natural exclusion of fire (because it is dangerous for everyone and living in a city that was not intended for its existence).

The key to making this world work so organically lies in Don Shank's ( Inside Out, Finding Dory) production design.) that articulates human spaces with a special logic that allows us to see how all the elements can move freely in a space designed for them, while fire is exposed to almost fatal danger when it performs daily activities as simple as taking a drink. train. This is how we children and adults observe, between the lines, how hostile arrival to a new country can be for a family of immigrants. A direct allegory to the history of the United States, but that is extensible to all parts of the world in modernity. Thanks to this subtext, Elemental gives us a key message for the new generations and that will make the older ones relive their past (or that of their family) questioning xenophobic behaviors that they are often not fully aware of.

Contrary to what one might think (because it is a fantasy universe and abstract characters), Elemental feels deeply close. Part of this is because it's inspired by the story of the parents of its director Peter Sohn (The Good Dinosaur, who also worked on animation for Pixar classics like Ratatouille, Up, Wall-E, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo), who left Korea to land in the Bronx, speaking no English, and who built a small store to support themselves. The script by the triad of John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh, all coming from television with an enormous background in children's and adult series (ranging from Simon & Pumbaa, My Name is Earl, to How I Meet Your Mother), achieves a delicate balance between delighting us with a magical world and highly creative sequences —taking advantage of the anthropomorphization of the elements—, and at the same time, delving into family dramas, developing an impossible relationship between Fireboy and Watergirl, without losing focus on Ember's maturation process. Like any immigrant growing up in a new country, the protagonist's challenge lies in maintaining and honoring her family's customs, but also in finding herself and finding her place in the world (just as her parents did when they chose to explore other courses and leave their homeland).

The construction of his characters goes beyond the corporeality of each element. His personality is inspired by Hippocrates ' theory of humors, used by ancient physicians, Greek philosophers, and astrologers to explain the different types of temperament that make up the human soul. This is how Ember, of the fire element, appears to us as choleric (extroverted, impulsive, euphoric, active, passionate) and Wade, of the water element, lymphatic (emotional, empathetic, dreamy, elusive). This generates a reversal of the usual roles that we usually have in Disney productions: being the sensitive and shy boy as opposed to the girl who is rash and violent. This same theory on behavior is also applied to secondary characters such as those of the earth element (who are persistent, stubborn and reliable) and those of the air element (who are changeable, light and expressive). The result is a story that, by appealing to the symbolic substratum.

The coherence at the narrative and visual level of Elementalit also holds up in the field of realization. Like its director, writers and other members of the technical team, the cast that gives voice to the characters is completely diverse, made up of people of multiple nationalities, genders and colors (Asians, Iranians, Pakistanis, French, North Americans, Latinos, Afro-descendants). By not having mainstream voices in the story (except Catherine O'Hara), Elemental sounds new and refreshing, which is always appreciated because it serves to give space to emerging talents that are more than necessary in this type of cinema (where , many times, the selection of interpreters is dictated by the star system, going to the detriment of the naturalness of the story). Of course, both the choice of Wade and Ember, relatively "new" actors.

In a world where emigration is increasingly common and the phenomenon of globalization is growing by leaps and bounds —thanks to technology that dissolves borders—, Elemental reminds us that we must honor our customs and that we are all united by a fine chain that goes beyond outward appearances. In the wake of productions such as Coco, Encanto and Red, the story of Wade and Amber tells us about the importance of healing the family lineage in the construction of our identity and the need that an entire generation has for their parents to recognize them for what they are and can be (and not for parameters obsolete). A delicate dance between what is outside and what is inside, between changing and maintaining what is essential, opening ourselves to the new and protecting Tradition. The key is that, wherever we go, we keep the fire of Hestia alive in our hearts and with it we light our new home.

The best: the construction of the universe that it raises, its presentation is ingenious and organic. The multiple readings that it offers around emigration, xenophobia and family complexes. The symbolic correlations between the elements and the development of their characters.

The bad: despite the fact that the focus of the story is fire and water, we were left wanting to see a little more of the dynamics with the elements of earth and air. Its resolution is predictable and takes the usual courses that Disney and Pixar take in the face of death.