They literally never once in this entire movie ever said that “We’re all the same.” Never even hinted at it. The point was that the two main characters wanted to be together despite their fundamental differences.
There’s literally 3 whole dedicated scenes about it. Where they touch for the first time. Where they talk about Ember’s future. Where Wade tries one last time to reach out. I’m so confused why people just ignore this.
Everyone keeps saying it’s “Zootopia dressed like Avatar” even though that’s not true. It’s that same type of thinking that left Dreamworks’ Megamind in the dust after Illumination’s Despicable Me came out. Just cause they both have a “bad guy” as the protagonist who “talks funny.”
It’s that same mindset that would have left Coco (2017) out to dry simply because Pixar’s “Coco” and 20th Century Fox’s “The Book of Life” (2014) both revolve around The Day of The Dead and the main characters like music. Yes, that was a thing.
Remember when people accused Coco of being a Book of Life Rip-off? It’s like nobody cares about storytelling, development, execution, or any of that stuff.
This movie isn’t black and white rascism like Zootopia. Elemental focuses on immigration. It focuses on sacrifice. It focuses on family. It focuses on preserving culture. And it focuses on love.
It’s not a girl trying “to make the world a better place” or a cop case. There’s no main villain. Prejudice is just a part of their life. It’s just something they have to deal with. And they also appreciate each other’s differences.
Another thing that I see pop up again and again and again is, “How are they touching?” “That ruins the rascism allegory.” “It’s a bad allegory cause the elements will literally destroy each other if they touch.”
I just sit there thinking, “Did they even watch the movie? Did they not see that beautiful scene under the bridge where they addressed that issue?”
If you notice throughout the movie, each element has to consciously keep themselves together. The only exception being Earth. (Unless I forgot some earth person in the background who was falling apart)
Air, Water, and Fire will also all change with their emotions. Yet people, both within and out of the movie, only care about what Fire could do. “How come Fire isn’t burning this right now? The thing with the flower flashback doesn’t work.”
Fire isn’t the only one capable of being dangerous. Water can cause accidents when they cry and even floods if they lose control. Gale was literally a lightning storm when she was upset.
The Vivisteria was said to be capable of surviving in any environment, even Fireland. Yet the water security guy was still afraid of what Fire could do. The only ones who don’t have to work to control themselves are Earth. (Which I guess is why they’re kind of just there in the movie living their lives)
That’s why it’s so amazing what happens under the bridge. Wade and Ember both make a conscious effort to be gentle with each other. They make the effort to find an in-between. It was a whole thing. Why do people just ignore that whole scene?
