20. Elemental

Elemental is a classic example of Pixar having a strong core thesis that is too smothered by its overly clever setting to shine as brightly as it could. The film’s world of people made up of earth, wind, fire, and water is gorgeous to look at, clearly has a lot of thought put into the logistics of its pretty much segregated setting, and facilitates a pretty touching story of two people finding their way back to each other after societal pressures nearly tore them apart. Its leads, the fiery second-gen immigrant Ember and sentimental rich boy Wade, are star-crossed lovers whose struggles give rise to some pretty meaningful commentary on the xenophobic nature of our world, but Elemental spends so much time indulging in visual spectacle and world-building that it loses the plot. It’s an enjoyable film whose tale is sometimes frustratingly told, but I suppose that can sometimes happen when you dress up real-world issues in a world that is so detached from our own it requires several asides to explain how its society works. — KS