Elemental (Pixar - June 2023)

[Sir_Cliff]

Finally saw Elemental last night and very much enjoyed it.

I will say that I agree with the comments some others have made about a few plot points being resolved a little bit too easily, including the whole set-up in the stadium. In that respect, I think the storytelling could/should have been sharpened up in a way that could have raised this closer to the top tier of Pixar films.

Overall, though, it was an engaging story that moved along very briskly and ultimately left me with a bit of a lump in my throat. I can see why it has been having such great word of mouth as I suspect a lot of people are surprised at the greater level of depth to the story in comparison with most animated films these days. Without spoiling it, I think the ending of the film goes a long way toward making the film ultimately feel satisfying. Wade's family also made me chuckle!

 

[Disstevefan1]

So far: $316,394,602

 

[Disney Analyst]

 

[MisterPenguin]

Is this one of the examples of creating an animated feature on a smaller budget so you can make a profit?

Will the children knocking at the door on Halloween be dressed as a teenage Kraken?

Should Illuminations and Dreamworks animation studios be merged?

Should Comcast be purchased by Apple?

@IveBeenJack

 

[TP2000]

This is where price point becomes so important, most people will do this up to a certain price point, once it surpasses that point they’ll cancel though.

I had a $9.99 gym membership for a decade that I used a couple dozen times a year, at $10 a month it was worth keeping it for the random days I wanted it, but when they raised it to $14.99 I couldn’t justify it anymore.

Agreed. I'm retired, I worked hard for decades and inherited a nice bit from successful parents, and I live a very comfy life.

But even I cancel my Netflix subscription once I'm done watching the latest season of The Crown and a few movies/show I want to watch for a month. It takes about 20 seconds work with my TV remote control to do that. Then I patiently wait a year or so for the next season of The Crown to show up and I re-subscribe to Netflix. For a month.

That's the dumbest thing the streamers ever did, make it so easy n' fast to cancel and re-subscribe and cancel again via a remote control.

 

[TP2000]

Is this one of the examples of creating an animated feature on a smaller budget so you can make a profit?

Nope. That Kraken thing is a bomb.

Will the children knocking at the door on Halloween be dressed as a teenage Kraken?

No, they'll all be Barbie or Kens.

I just can't decide if I should wear my Cowboy Ken costume I bought on Prime Day to pass out candy on the evening of October 31st, or if the sight of that to neighbor kids and their parents might elicit calls to the police, or at the very least the HOA President.

I need to see the movie first next week before I make that decision, so stay tuned.

Should Illuminations and Dreamworks animation studios be merged?

Probably. Hollywood is going to really be hurting whenever the strikes/box office mess of 2023 resolves itself later in 2024. Ugly times ahead.

Should Comcast be purchased by Apple?

No. Apple should focus on phones and watches. I'm kind of cranky about my iPhone 14 right now.

 

[Disney Analyst]

 

[TsWade2]

WHEE!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Elemental is 100% benefitting from a lack of family films out right now besides it and Spider-Man. Barbie is not for the same audience.

I think it will continue to play better than expectations until at least Ninja Turtles comes out. HM may be too scary for some children.

 

[wtyy21]

One thing that shook my eyes is in South Korea, Elemental is going to be more popular Disney film than live-action version of The Little Mermaid, which deemed as "woke" by many audiences due to "racist" criticism regarding Halle Bailey's casting. It grossed $37.7M vs $5M for TLM.


The film also going to more popular than TLM in China, as it grossed $15.7M as opposed to $3.7M for TLM.

The Little Mermaid:

Elemental:

 

[TP2000]

Elemental is slowly chugging along (I credit the fabulous Catherine O'Hara for that), but is still deeply in the red for Pixar at the global box office as its overseas openings were staggered through early August in foreign countries.

Here's where the box office stands after this weekend using a 60/40 split for domestic/overseas box office take, with a $200 Million production budget and an estimated $100 Million global marketing budget; Elemental is operating at a $130 Million loss right now.

 

[Disney Analyst]

 

[Fox&Hound]

Just got back from Elemental and we adored this movie. I truly have not enjoyed a lot of their recent offerings (Lightyear, Turning Red, Luca, Strange World, and even Soul) but this movie had heart and characters you really cared about.

I will say the marketing team really fumbled on this one. It is not really an opposites attract rom-com. The true story is an immigrant family and the expectations placed on children. Had they advertised it that way I think more families would have rushed out to see it.

Don’t sleep on this one- seriously, go and see it.

 

[TP2000]

Don’t sleep on this one- seriously, go and see it.

Why? You could just wait to see it for free on Disney+.

 

[LittleBuford]

I will say the marketing team really fumbled on this one. It is not really an opposites attract rom-com. The true story is an immigrant family and the expectations placed on children. Had they advertised it that way I think more families would have rushed out to see it.

I disagree. I think that would have prompted complaints that Disney/Pixar no longer know how to make fun films without heavy-handed social commentary.

At any rate, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I plan to see it in the coming weeks.

 

[Disstevefan1]

$359,316,826 so far.

 

[doctornick]

I disagree. I think that would have prompted complaints that Disney/Pixar no longer know how to make fun films without heavy-handed social commentary.

At any rate, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I plan to see it in the coming weeks.

Aren’t pretty much all Pixar films light hearted enough to be enjoyed on a fun superficial level by kids and all ages but having some depth that can be appreciated for the sophistication? At least all the highly regarded ones that have Pixar its reputation of quality.

I don’t know what the ideal advertising would have been, but I don’t think framing as an immigrant/family story would have been a turn off necessarily.

 

[LittleBuford]

Aren’t pretty much all Pixar films light hearted enough to be enjoyed on a fun superficial level by kids and all ages but having some depth that can be appreciated for the sophistication? At least all the highly regarded ones that have Pixar its reputation of quality.

I don’t know what the ideal advertising would have been, but I don’t think framing as an immigrant/family story would have been a turn off necessarily.

I don’t think it would have been a turn-off as such, since, as you say, this is Pixar’s brand anyway. But I don’t think it would have encouraged more viewers than the “opposites attract” angle, and I also think it would have fuelled some of the usual complaining from those who currently have it in for Disney.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I disagree. I think that would have prompted complaints that Disney/Pixar no longer know how to make fun films without heavy-handed social commentary.

At any rate, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I plan to see it in the coming weeks.

Just my opinion but I think framing this as an immigrant story would've been better received than what was presented in the trailers. The trailers made it look like a boring love story that was playing things TOO safe.

 

[LittleBuford]

Just my opinion but I think framing this as an immigrant story would've been better received than what was presented in the trailers. The trailers made it look like a boring love story that was playing things TOO safe.

Perhaps you’re right. I no longer feel I understand the box office!