After a few years of pathetic output, largely due to the pandemic, Hollywood is finally having a big summer. This year will be particularly prolific for Disney, which has several major pictures coming out during the summer months, both animated and live action. Among these is “Elemental,” the latest Pixar film characterizing inanimate objects or, in this case, elements.
No matter how many blockbusters Hollywood releases, it doesn’t seem to produce anything new. Aside from the occasional independent film, the majority of the film industry’s output is the same rehashed tripe amongst the G and PG-rated films and trash amongst the PG-13 and R-rated films. These days, G-rated films are almost non-existent, while PG films, which are marketed to children, always seem to hint at a corrupt agenda. The only place one can escape from this frustrating cycle is in classic movies.
The Latest
“Elemental” was released on June 16, and it has bombed at the box office, with the worst opening weekend in Pixar’s history. As the title indicates, this story is about the four elements: water, fire, air, and earth. While three of the elements live harmoniously together in Element City, the fire people face a lot of discrimination. They come from distant Fire Land, which seems very Asian, and they keep to themselves in a subsection of the city. The most avoided fellow element for fire is water, since contact between them could destroy both through extinguishing of fire and evaporation of water.The story focuses on a fire girl named Ember, whose explosive temper has kept her ailing father from letting her take over his shop. One day, her fiery outburst damages a pipe in their basement, unexpectedly bringing water inspector Wade into the room. The emotional young man reluctantly goes to report the damage to his supervisor, but Ember chases him through the city, desperate to protect the shop. Wade pities her plight and agrees to help her. In the process, the unlikely friends grow inexplicably close, despite the seeming impossibility of their romance.
There’s nothing new about “Elemental.” From the trailer, it was easy to see that its aesthetic is very similar to recent Pixar films like “Onward,” “Zootopia,” and “Inside Out.” However, this movie is more romantic than most Pixar films. It focuses on a pair of star-crossed lovers, who are more like the characters in “West Side Story” than “Romeo and Juliet” because they come from different races rather than feuding families. More than these tense tragedies, however, “Elemental” reminded me of a colorful 1950s musical about sweethearts from very different backgrounds: “Small Town Girl” from 1953.
The Greatest
“Small Town Girl” is a vibrant MGM musical starring Jane Powell, Farley Granger, Ann Miller, and Bobby Van. Since it was produced by Joe Pasternak, the warmest-hearted musical producer in classic Hollywood, it has a delightful mixture of Americana integrity and Old-World charm. The score includes seven delightful original songs that were written for this film. Many of the impressive musical numbers were choreographed by Busby Berkeley. You might be wondering what a Technicolor musical extravaganza like this could have in common with a Pixar flick about mismatched elements that fall in love. As unlikely as it may seem, these two films share many story characteristics.The peaceful community of Duck Creek is disturbed one Sunday morning when cocky playboy Rick Livingston (Granger) speeds through town. He is caught and brought before Judge Kimbell (Robert Keith), who sentences him to thirty days in jail for reckless driving and contempt of court. Neither his wealthy mother (Billie Burke) nor his Broadway star fiancée (Miller) can get him out of this jam, so Rick settles into his cell. He tries romancing the judge’s daughter, Cindy (Powell), in hopes of lightening his sentence. Although she pretends not to like him, Cindy is fascinated by Rick, despite having been tentatively engaged to Ludwig Schlemmer (Van), the son of shopkeeper Eric Schlemmer (S. Z. Sakall), since childhood. Just as Cindy dreams of marrying for love, Ludwig aspires to leave Duck Creek and try to become a musical star on Broadway.
If you look beneath their surfaces, you’ll see these two films have a lot in common. Both are about a placid community which is disturbed by a male outsider from the big city. The leading lady is not too happy to meet this interloper, and her father isn’t thrilled by his presence, either. The differences between a small-town girl like Cindy and a New York playboy like Rick may not be as stark as those between two conflicting elements like Ember and Wade, but the struggle of romance versus compatibility is very similar. An important point of “Elemental” is that Ember’s father expects her to take over his store, but she has other dreams of employment, outside their small town. This is mirrored by a different character in “Small Town Girl,” Ludwig Schlemmer, who has other dreams for his life than running his immigrant father’s store.
A Different Fantasy
The advanced promotional material for “Elemental” featured very colorful font and imagery, including a rainbow in the trailer. This, coupled with its June release date, made me wonder whether the Pixar movie would have a prominent queer character. Nevertheless, it stayed in the relatively safe position taken by the last several Disney features, tossing in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference to Wade’s “non-binary sibling” (sister) and “their” girlfriend. The sequence is so brief that its inclusion seems pointless, but there is a calculated plan. Besides being a marketing ploy, it’s a way of desensitizing viewers to relationships and concepts which were shocking just a few years ago.Thankfully, we don’t have to rely on Disney, Pixar, or any other agenda-driven film companies for a little colorful diversion. Classic films like “Small Town Girl” offer vibrant, lighthearted entertainment full of music, dancing, wholesome romance, and family stories, all the characteristics that were once synonymous with Disney films. Sadly, Duck Creek, a small town where decent people cherish faith, patriotism, music, and community, seems like more of a fantasy world today than Element City, but at least we can still escape there.
