Disney and Pixar screened their latest CGI feature Elemental this past week at the Cannes Film Festival. The early reactions aren’t looking very good. This is bad news for Pixar, who felt Disney wronged them by dropping Turning Red on Disney+ rather than in theaters.
Elemental could be the third mediocre feature dropped by Pixar in a row. Seeing Red and Luca rank near the bottom of most Pixar lists. The early reviews for the film are mixed at best. Most cite that the movie underwhelms in spite of its over-abundant parallels to larger geopolitical ideas.
Elemental sits at a 57% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes at this point. This ranks it as the second lowest rating for a Pixar film, in front of Cars 2 with 40%. It’s not time to panic quite yet, this rating’s based on only seven reviews, but it could indicate troubles ahead.
you can check out a few samples reviews below:
“While unlikely to feature on many people’s favorite Pixar lists, Elemental brings with it the satisfying creak of a ship being righted. 3/5” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
“For all Elemental’s many charms, this nonsensical film simply doesn’t cut the mustard. 2/5” – Jo-Ann Titmarsh, London Evening Standard
“The elements all fit perfectly into place – so much so that the creative flames are doused, and we’re left without much of an impression.” – Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter
“I reckon there are more ideas per second of screentime in ‘Elemental’ than any other Pixar movie to date. So why does this imagination-teasing opposites-attract rom-com feel like a misfire?” – Peter DeBruge, Variety
“As conflicted as they come: a heavy-handed, mixed-bag immigrant metaphor punctuated by a genuinely moving romance. It gets frequently lost down the rabbit hole of its own conceptual details but yields occasionally stunning images and thoughtful aesthetics” – Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire
The film’s tracking to gross $40 million on its opening weekend, which sets it on a trajectory to stay near the bottom of Pixar opening weekends. (Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur nabbed $35 million and Onward grabbed $39 million.
