Pixar’s latest film takes us into the lives of the four elements - water, earth,
fire and air. While these elements may not always mix well together,
they still make for some pretty fun and maybe even lovable characters. So, let’s discuss them!
I’m Kyle with WickedBinge, and this is Pixar’s Elemental: Good to Most Good.
Naturally, MAJOR spoilers ahead for all of Elemental.
Since the film doesn’t have any true villains or despicable antagonists,
we’re going to be starting with what you could call the ‘least good’ characters that would likely
border on the Grey Area before moving onto our most noble, pure and heroic characters.
At the bottom of our list, we have Clod. Being an earth elemental,
Clod is known as the somewhat-annoying and self-acclaimed street-smart kid who tends to
hang out outside The Fireplace. He’s also got a huge crush on Ember and is constantly trying to
impress her with his flowers and his so-called ‘smooth talk’. Naturally, this doesn’t really go
anywhere. While he’s certainly not the worst kid character in a Pixar film, it can be a bit off
putting just how pushy Clod is when it comes to hanging around the shop or flirting with Ember.
He also never really does anything positive within the film or helps out in any way, really
only being used for comedy relief. For these reasons, we just couldn’t put him any higher.
Following him is another earth elemental who seems to be the complete opposite in
terms of personality - Fern Grouchwood. We only see Fern a couple of times in the film,
with his workaholic nature being hinted at through how overgrown he is, turning
his office at City Hall into practically a jungle. Given that he’s also a bureaucrat,
he tends to come off as very bored, uninterested and anti-social when Wade and Ember meet with
him. He also doesn’t seem to care much about Ember’s problem, sending off the citations the
moment after she accidentally burns up all the plants in his office. But for as bland
and as uncaring as Fern may seem, he does have an interest in airball and ends up falling for Gale,
who is also a fan. So hey, maybe there’s more beneath the plants with this guy.
Speaking of Fern’s eventual lover, next up is Gale Cumulus. Much like the previous two characters
we’ve mentioned, this air elemental doesn’t necessarily make the best first impression.
We see her become stormy and frustrated when her favorite team is losing their game of airball,
and Gale then takes this frustration out on Ember, leading to a brief fight. When Wade
is able to hype up the crowd however, thus allowing the team to turn the game around,
we start to see more of Gale’s positive side. Although she’s a city worker like Fern,
she can be a bit more lenient as we see her give Ember and Wade time to find the cause of the leak
instead of just shutting down The Fireplace right away. She also agrees to create an air
bubble for Ember when Wade wants to take her down into the flooded museum to show her some
rare flowers. This is an incredibly nice moment, given that she had to go out of her way to do it,
and it speaks to how reasonable and kind Gale is able to be outside of Cyclone Stadium.
But while it may have taken Gale a bit of time to warm up to the film’s main couple,
Wade’s Family was welcoming right away. Although it wasn’t the most flawless introduction, mind
you. Moments such as Wade’s nephews nearly pushing Ember into the water or his uncle commenting that
Ember “spoke such good English” made for the occasional awkward moment. Thankfully,
with how chill and friendly Wade’s family is, their dinner was able to come and go without
any real moments of tension in spite of all the differences between water and fire elementals.
They were even shown being supportive of Ember’s glass making talents, with Wade’s mother going
so far as to try and help her get a glass-making internship. This was perhaps a bit presumptuous,
but it was still a kind gesture. We also saw just how much Wade’s mother cared for her son,
being supportive of his love, his feelings and his eventual choice to leave with Ember,
even when the latter made both of them burst into tears.
Speaking of mothers, Cinder also proved to be a pretty good mother for Ember. Granted,
she had her moments of pushiness - being a matchmaker, we saw her focus quite a bit on
her daughter’s lack of a love life. When it seemed like Ember did finally find someone,
Cinder put her all into trying to find out just who that special guy in her daughter’s life was…
only to find out he was a water guy. Now, this is where things COULD have taken a negative turn,
as Cinder strongly believes that elements shouldn’t mix when it comes to romance. She even
tries to prove this with one of her matchmaking readings. Wade ends up surprising her, however,
and they’re able to get a proper reading - one that seems to point towards the relationship
between him and Ember being one of true love. This prompts Cinder to help Ember hide her relationship
with Wade from her father. Later on, after Wade publicly declares his love, Cinder actually makes
her approval public as well, telling everyone about the results of her reading. Honestly, it’s
just always nice to see a mother character being supportive of her daughter, not just wanting her
to find a man but actually wanting her to be happy with whoever she happens to fall in love with.
When it comes to supportive parents, however,
our Bronze Medal of Good winner - Bernie Lumen - certainly shines in that category.
Bernie is the proud owner of The Fireplace, an authentic convenience store in the heart
of Fire Town. He’s seen as a leader for his community and cares deeply about his customers,
always wanting to make connections over making money and being willing to give someone something
on the house if it means making their experience at his shop a positive one. He’s also shown being
incredibly patient towards Ember, never resenting her or her temper, even when it pushes him into
continuing to work long past retirement age. There are a few moments where he does show a
bit of his own temper, however, like when Wade disrupts his shop or when he learns that Ember
had been lying to him about the pipes. But even at his so-called ‘worst’, Bernie is shown to
be a good and reasonable man who, while he may have his own prejudices at first, is willing to
change for the sake of those he cares about the most. Simply put, the guy’s got a lot of heart.
The same could be said for our Silver Medal of Good winner, Ember. This is especially true when
it comes to her family. Beyond anything else, Ember’s main goal is to ‘be a good daughter’ and
do what she can to help her family, believing that she has to repay them for all the sacrifices they
have made in order to give her a good life. Even if it means giving up her passion for glassmaking,
Ember is still willing to take over the store if it means allowing her sick father to finally
retire. She also puts herself in danger to try and protect the store’s blue flame, understanding how
much it means to her family. This may be seen as a bit self-destructive, hence why it’s still seen as
a happy ending when she tells Bernie the truth and allows herself to pursue glassmaking, but Ember’s
selflessness and dedication to her family is a virtue that shouldn’t be ignored or overlooked.
But when it comes to being selfless and sacrificing, our final character takes
it to a whole other level. Our Gold Medal of Good is going to Wade Ripple. On the surface,
Wade may not seem like much, coming off as a bit of a crybaby who - being an inspector for
the city - helps kick start the conflict of needing to save The Fireplace from being shut
down. Once he sees just how much the shop means to Ember, however, Wade is willing to put his
own job on the line to help her and her family out. When it comes to other people’s emotions,
Wade is able to be incredibly empathetic. This doesn’t just apply to Ember but to anyone he
meets, such as the air ball athlete who he sees struggling during the big game. Wade is also
very supportive, going above and beyond to help Ember on different levels,
ultimately just wanting to see her be happy. When it comes to their relationship, you could maybe
say that Wade is just a bit on the pushy side - but hey, he’s the male lead in a romantic comedy,
so it’s pretty par for the course. What puts Wade above most other romantic leads, however,
is his willingness to not just fight for Ember, but also sacrifice himself for her when they’re
both trapped in the shop during the film’s climax. Though he does end up surviving in the end, it
still doesn’t take away from how kind, caring and selfless Wade is, easily earning him our top spot.