How Pixar Rediscovered the Magic of Storytelling in Elemental

Pixar passes through low hours. From the fact that only a few of his films have made it to cinemas in the last five years, to the controversy surrounding most of them. The studio, known for its creativity and contributions to animated films, seems to have lost its magic while trying to merge the world of adults with the world of children. An experiment in script and visuals that has been successful for many years. But whether by repeating the formula while telling your stories or alone, Having become predictable, he lost the ability to captivate the audience.

Thus the apparent initial failure elementary, surprised no one. The studio’s twenty-seventh film, it debuted to mixed reviews. Even more so at Cannes, where it received scathing reviews, resulting in a disappointing 57% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes.

But to make matters worse, most experts and specialist journalists insisted that the film lacked appeal, charm and originality. A simple love story in a fantasy setting, endlessly repeated by Pixar in the past. By the time it was released in the rest of the world, it had grossed $29.5 million in its opening weekend, much lower than the rest of the company’s films.

However, in the following months the film was vindicated. World critics had a better opinion of it than of the French festival. This allowed it to increase its average positive review score on Rotten Tomatoes to 76%. Additionally, audience ratings gave it an approval rating of 92%. But the most surprising thing was that after a modest debut, the full-length film continued to remain among the top grossers for almost two months. Something that allowed him to achieve rare success, which happened slowly and ended in a triumph that no one expected.

Phenomenon in the entertainment business

Low initial fee elementary, seemed to show that the studio had lost its ability to attract audiences to theaters. Previous project released on the big screen Light year, was a controversial flop. There was also a scandal that led to public doubt about Pixar’s ability to recover from the pandemic shutdown.

How will this be remembered, both SoulHow Lucas And Netwere released on Disney+, which turned out to be a poor performance spin off from toy story in a warning sign. This seemed to intensify after what happened to Elemental both at Cannes and during the first weekend of its release.

But the love story between a creature of fire and a creature of water turned out to be much more than just a disappointing debut. Gradually, word of mouth and good reviews allowed the film to remain on the most viewed lists. Even in the midst of other major premieres.

Unexpected success

Boasting a staying power rarely seen in other films whose box office numbers tend to fall, elementary recovered in the second week. Contrary to Flash or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which almost immediately lost most of its audience, the anime remained attractive. With a slight percentage drop, it never made it outside the top ten grossing films over the next four weeks of release.

Even beyond the borders of North America, it enjoyed solid success in various markets, especially South Korea, Mexico, France and the UK. Especially among South Korean audiences, it became one of the hits of the year with earnings of $48 million.

But above all, the film manages to live up to its seemingly simple love story. The allegory of migration, loneliness and discrimination in a fantasy city inhabited by creatures of air, earth, fire and water was mesmerizing. From the visual section, Pixar showed new levels of imagination and inventiveness to present its sensitive point of view on difficult topics. elementary This was surprising as it was an underrated story that found its place in a year of box office failures.

Sometimes an unpredictable industry

There is no single explanation that allows us to understand success elementary, which ultimately grossed over $460 million before its release on Disney+. With a budget of less than half that amount, the film was a success that showed it could reverse the factors stacked against it.

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It’s a love story told between adult allegories and animation that, even by the studio’s high standards, is outstanding. elementary found my audience. A triumph that, at a time when nothing is certain in the cinematic world, is more meaningful than ever.