Your Children Don’t Like Science?
Bring Them to Watch Disney Pixar’s Elemental and They Will Have a Change of Heart.
Did you remember there was one movie where it was about this little girl with 5 different emotions? All these emotions were a bunch of characters who happened to live inside her head and each of their personalities resembled, of course, the emotions they represented.
Remember? No?
Well, the movie is called Inside Out. We’re pretty sure you have seen it and you love it because of the originality the film has compared to other animated films at that time.
Now, how about if we tell you that we have a movie about characters based on different elements? Yes, we’re talking about Fire, Water, Earth and Air who all live in a fun world known as Element City.
It sounds quite similar to Inside Out and yet, it’s very different. The best thing is, this movie is brought by the same company that brought us Inside Out! So, it’s definitely going to be a fun ride!
One of our colleagues had the chance to watch the movie at the premiere screening as he was invited by his friend in courtesy of Disney Malaysia and he has a lot of different reasons to list down why this movie is important to watch for you and your children.
So before we dive in, you must be wondering, what is this movie really about? Disney Pixar’s Elemental tells the story of a fiery young woman named Ember who meets with a go-with-the-flow guy, Wade whose element is made up of water. Together, they embark on a journey discovering that they have something a lot more in common than what nature tells them.
HERE WE GOOO!
Every Malaysian Needs to Watch This Film Because…
… this is exactly the movie you need to show to your children if you want your children to understand more about our country. It’s as if the existence of this film is made for Malaysians. Elemental has so much to say about and for Malaysians and this movie couldn’t ring truer to us.
With four elements; Fire, Water, Earth and Air residents live together in Element City, they need to understand and respect one another in order for them to live peacefully and in harmony. Similar to Malaysia where we live interracially; Malays, Chinese, Indians and Orang Asli amongst others. The sheer similarity is just unbelievable. Respecting is important, appreciating the differences is also important, let alone living together without discrimination, unjust or prejudice.
Imagine watching this movie with your whole family, it’s at the utmost pleasure for you to discuss it after the credits roll. You will feel the urge to discuss this with your children and ask, ‘what have you learned from it?’
Everyone Has a Story to Tell
No matter who you are, where you’re from or what your background is, anyone and everyone has a story to tell. And each of you not only has a story, but that story itself is interesting which makes you stand out as a person. There’s always a reason why he or she becomes who they are today and as a viewer, you get to listen to Ember and Wade’s stories as to why they are who they are.
Ember, who comes from the fire ethnic has an intermittent explosive disorder and Wade is someone who happens to be very sensitive with almost anything anyone says. Can you just imagine what would happen if these two met?
These two characters are very different, it’s like they are at both ends of the spectrum and because of an inevitable situation, they have to get along and understand each other as they embark on a journey of friendship and life.
Its brilliance lies in the script and the personalities they built around the main characters and the community of the four elements. Children will have a quick grasp on the complex nature of emotions, personalities and stories as each element has an apparent set of emotions and personalities they imbue like the fire community is associated with anger and water community is associated with sadness. Who they are has something to do with their nature, upbringings, their history and the experiences they went and go through; both the past and present.
Chemistry is FUN (even if they’re not)!
Bringing the subject of chemistry, there are a lot of chemical formulas, reactions and processes that are brought in very creative ways. From the very beginning up until the final minute, they keep showing us the variations of how chemistry works through the forms of visuals and verbal. For instance, the movie shows how fire and water naturally react if combined together and if oxygen is important for Ember as she is fire which as we know, needs oxygen for it to light up.
Viewers will have so much fun with this. Your children will be exposed to a whole lot of knowledge that they never knew before. Who knows your children may end up becoming a chemist later in life, stemming from their upbringing that you bring them to watch this movie in the cinemas 😉.
Let’s say if your children dislike chemistry, that it’s the most boring chapter when it comes to science class. Well, don’t be surprised if they suddenly change their mind about it and the next thing you know, they are intrigued to do one of those basic science experiments they look up on YouTube. This will make them love chemistry, including you!
Fitting In Where You Want
Ember and her family have a hard time blending in with others. They try mingling and connecting but most of the time, others would just look down on them. Not only because they are perceived as perilous, coming from the most dangerous element on earth, but it is also because Ember’s parents were immigrants who wanted to build a life in the city and make their dreams come true.
Elemental will make you question, ‘how would you feel if you were them?’, followed by a sense of empathy that goes for the family. Expressions play a pivotal role and guess what? The team did it! It’s crystal clear, even by children’s standards, that Ember and her family were hurt by the discrimination they faced. The hardships that the family has to go through for years and be labeled and looked at as immigrants. You don’t just see it, you will also feel it.
There are just so many things your children can take from this movie; from interracial friendships to immigrations. And the movie doesn’t forget you, the parents as they also have something in store for you all.
Disney Pixar’s Elemental is now showing in cinemas!
Written by:
IAN FIRDAUS
