Elemental is set in Element City and focuses on Ember Lumen, a fire element who meets and falls in love with the water element Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) despite her family’s disapproval. Animated films have seen a boom in the past decade, with studios getting ever more expressive with their worlds and narratives that appeal to both kids and adults alike. If you’re looking for movies like Elemental, here are ten you must watch.
Zootopia (2016)
The city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis full of animals, from huge elephants and tiny shrews. They all live together, with animals performing human jobs. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) is the first rabbit to join the police, and she’s desperate to prove herself by solving a mysterious case.
This means working with the fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), which makes her life more difficult.
Inside Out (2015)
Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is a young, hockey-loving Midwestern girl, but her world gets upended when she and her parents move to San Francisco. Riley’s emotions which is led by Joy (Amy Poehler), who is trying to steer Riley through the trying time. But the stress of the move brings Sadness (Phyllis Smith) to the fore.
When Joy and Sadness are accidentally swept into the depths of Riley’s mind, the only emotions left in control are Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling).
Moana (2016)
Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), a young and adventurous teen, sails out on a daring journey to save her people on the Polynesian island of Motunui. She meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who helps to guide her in her quest.
Together, they sail across the ocean, find sea monsters, and encounter several difficulties. Along the way, Moana manages to discover her own identity.
Encanto (2021)
The Madrigals are a family blessed with extraordinary gifts of magic and wonder by their wonderful house, Encanto, hidden in the Colombian mountains. Every child gets a gift, that is, except Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz).
But she might be the Madrigal’s last hope when the magic of Encanto starts to disappear.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is a normal kid from New York in the universe 1610. But when he gets bitten by a radioactive spider, and Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) brings other Spider-People from different universes to 1610, Miles must work with them to learn what it means to be Spider-Man and how he can help these desperate Spider-People resolve their trauma and return to their universes.
Sing (2016)
Dapper Koala Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) runs a once-grand theater that has fallen apart. Ever the eternal optimist and a little bit of a scoundrel, he wants to restore its former glory.
He puts on a singing competition and has five contestants: a mouse, an elephant, a pig, a gorilla, and a porcupine.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Emmet (Chris Pratt) is just an ordinary guy who follows the rules. He’s mistakenly identified as the Special – an extraordinary being able to save the world and finds himself drafted into a fellowship of strangers who are on a mission to stop the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell).
Emmet is woefully unprepared for this task, so he has to learn the ropes quickly.
Turning Red (2022)
Meilin “Mei” Lee (Chiang) is a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian who’s torn between staying as her mother’s dutiful and the daunting challenges of adolescence. If this wasn’t difficult enough, Mei turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets over-excited.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) is a young filmmaker who embarks on a road trip with her family to start her first year at school. But this family bonding trip gets interrupted by the world’s electronic devices stage a violent uprising.
But two friendly robots help the Mitchells to stop the technological revolution.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Set in a fantastical world where Vikings and dragons fight each other, the film follows the Norse teenager Hiccup (Tawin Yavapolkul) as he trains to protect the island of Berk from dragons. But his progressive views and weak muscles make him a terrible fit for a warrior.
But when he meets Toothless, an injured dragon, he jumps on the chance to plot a new course for his people.
Do you have any other recommendations for movies like Elemental? Let us know in the comments.
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