Nominated for Best Animated Feature 
Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) is a first-generation resident of Element City. Her parents moved from their native Fire country and opened a small shop just before she was born, eventually becoming the heart of the diaspora. Ember has always known that her duty is to take over for her dad (Ronnie Del Carmen) when he retires, but finds her temper prevents her from connecting with customers. One of her meltdowns causes a pipe in the basement to burst, accidentally freeing a city inspector, Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), who files 30 citations before Ember can stop him. Terrified that she will be the cause of her dad losing his life's work, Ember and Wade, who is burdened with an overabundance of empathy, try to find the source of the errant water before Wade's boss, Gale (Wendi McLendon-Covey), shuts the shop down for good.
This is primarily a story about the generational guilt that comes from being a child of immigrants and the pressure to conform to their expectations as much as it is about interracial dating. It's beautifully animated (duh, Pixar) and everything about it is great. The world feels fully realized, it's creative, the story is universal and yet highly specific, and the characters are engaging and cute. There's nothing wrong with it. So why did Disney drop it unceremoniously onto their streamer instead of opting for a theatrical release, undercutting consumer confidence in it before it even had a chance? Smacks of corporate fuckery, no? They doubled back, pushing for a theatrical run after the Oscar nomination but I think a lot of people dismissed it out of hand and they shouldn't. So this is your strong recommendation to watch Elemental. It's available on Disney+ and in select theaters.
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