Adrian Says: Pixar made the Leidenfrost effect as a form of love

As I was wondering what films to write about because I don't want to critique any of Schmidt or Murdock's diagrams, I was thinking of old movies that featured female protagonists. However, I recently thought of many recent Disney and Pixar movies that also fit this genre. For this blog, I will be talking about one of Pixar's recent movies, Elemental. I highly advise that you watched the movie before or know most of the plot, because I try to summarize the parts that are present in Schmidt's heroine's journey diagram so some of it might not make a ton of sense if you have never heard of the movie before.

Elemental (2023) Poster

In the movie, we see the female protagonist, Ember who is represented as a fire person who lives in a town filled with other fire people that are secluded from other elements. Because Ember had always wanted to fulfill her father's wish that she would take over her father's store when he got older, Ember had never been outside of her home town. This gave her the idea that everything she needed was in that town and I quote from her, "Elements do not mix" which shows her belief that different elements are unable to get along. One day, Ember gets very annoyed at the customers and goes down to the basement to "cool down" but accidently breaks some pipes that burst water everywhere. While Ember tries to fix the pipes a water guy comes out of the pipes. The water guy's name is Wade and happens to be a city inspector causing him to write down a review for the leaky pipes which would lead to her father's store being shut down. As Ember tries to stop Wade from sending the review, she unwillingly goes to Element City (an area that features water, earth and air characters), but she was unable to catch up to him and starts to talk about how that store was her father's dream. Wade starts to get very emotional over that story and tries to help Ember by stopping the review from being sent to the person in charge. Unfortunately they were too late and now have to persuade the person in charge to not shut down her father's store.

In these first couple minutes into the movie, we already get the three steps for the heroine's preparation for the descent. Ember's illusion of the perfect world is just making her father's dream a reality where she steps in as the new owner once her father retires. The betrayal or realization is when Wade submits the review, making Ember believe that there is no way of stopping her father's shop from being shut down. When she is aided with Wade's help, this is when Ember prepares for her "heroine's journey" to prevent her father's shop from being closed.

(The following includes a quick summary because of how long the plot goes before reaching that Eye of the Storm to Death) 

As expected, Ember is able to convince them to not shut down the store if they could investigate the leak that was mentioned before. So Wade and Ember go to find out that a dam that prevents the water from going into Ember's home town has a hole in it. They try blocking the hole with sandbags but that doesn't work, so Ember melts the sand into a beautiful glass sculpture that does block the water from leaking out. Wade then invites Ember to his house, where she is told by Wade's mother that she can offer her a job as a glass sculptor. Ember declines as she believes she is destined to take over her father's legacy and Ember and Wade head out. After some time, Ember and Wade start to get close and they demonstrate the Leidenfrost effect. Also Ember expresses to Wade that she doesn't want to take over her father's shop but has to take it. Wade tries to talk her out of it but Ember realizes that she shouldn't be with Wade since he is a water person and follows her morals that "elements do not mix." Ember leaves Wade and she goes to her father's retirement party where she will be announced as the new owner of the shop.

The Descent/Passing the Gates of Judgement can be seen in Elemental as Ember heading onto new grounds as she tries to not get her father's shop shut down. In the process, Ember is greatly praised with her glasswork but she denies the job opportunity as she believes she was only destined to take over her father's shop. Although this moment technically doesn't see Ember as having that small taste of success, it does allow her to think about her own future and her own choices which is why I will label that part as the Eye of the Storm. The Death phase is very crushing on Ember as she realizes that she doesn't want to take over her father's shop but feels forced to and although Wade tries to talk her out of it, she pushes him away too. In the process, she doesn't let down her father, however she is also trapped in a life that she doesn't want to be in. 

As Ember is about to become the owner, Wade comes in at the last second, sharing the memories that they spent together. Ember decides to not push Wade away this time, but the father is in disbelief that his daughter is practically dating a water guy so he does not retire. Remember that glass sculpture that had that tiny leak of water? Well as it turns out there was too much pressure which broke the glass, but also started to flood the entirety of fire town. While every fire person was safe from the flood, an important flame (the last gift Ember's father got from his father before he moved) was still sitting in the father's store. Ember goes to retrieve the flame while Wade comes along to protect Ember. They both find the room that the flame was in, but the flood traps them into the room, preventing any escape. Since Wade is also in that room, he starts to evaporate and Ember is sad. Once the flood is over, Ember's family breaks them out of the room only finding Ember all alone. However, this movie needs a happy ending, so Ember manages to bring Wade back by making his water vapor laugh and turning into droplets of water. After being trapped in that room, Ember decides that she wants to be with Wade and pursue a career as a glass sculptor. Ember's father changes his perspective of Wade and allows her to go and get that happily ever after. 

These last three steps of the heroine's journey are very obvious but I'll still explain them anyway. The Support step comes from Wade trying to convince Ember to not partake in this life that she no longer wants. There are even more ways that Wade supported her such as assisting Ember in getting her father's flame and even sacrificing himself just so Ember is able to protect the flame when the flood is over. The Rebirth stage is more than likely when Ember speaks up to her father, saying that she doesn't want to take over the father's store and rather suggests a life that is very different from Ember's beliefs at the beginning of the movie. Lastly, Return to the Perfect World suggests that Ember doesn't return back to her original home, but rather goes to a life that feels perfect for her.