‘Elemental’ Is an Immigrant Tale, but It Also Cuts Deep as a Story About Disability (Commentary)
thewrap.comElemental,” is a charming drama about family and identity, centering the story of two elements, Ember and Wade (voiced by Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie, respectively), who fall in love with each other.
Many different themes are tackled within, from questions of personal identity to the struggles of immigration. But at a certain point Ember talks about how, as a fire element who can cause things to ignite just by standing next to them, the “world is not designed for me.”My ears immediately perked up when I heard that line.
As a disabled person, I say this regularly because the world is definitely not designed with me in mind, or most disabled people for that matter.
Director Peter Sohn and co-screenwriters John Hoberg and Kat Likkel didn’t intend to tell a disabled story, but the story they told is one that does resonate with marginalized people. “The idea of belonging and not fitting in has so many gateways,” Sohn told TheWrap.
Read more on thewrap.com