Diana and Suzy to unpack Pixar’s Elemental and why this bright romance about a fire girl and a water guy feels so personal. We dig into immigrant family expectations, identity, access to opportunity, and what it looks like to pick your own path. The crew trades favorite gags, cries over Wade’s “evaporation,” debates which element we’d be, and imagines what an Elemental 2 could explore. Along the way, we share real stories about work, school, and the moment someone finally tells you your dream isn’t “too expensive” to say out loud.
00:00 Welcome to Disney Moms Gone Wrong, hosts and late-night vibes
01:27 Why Elemental became a comfort movie at home
02:56 Plot setup: Ember, Wade, Element City, and the shop inspection
03:33 Big themes: love, identity, family expectations, cultural differences
04:37 Belle’s perspective as a daughter of immigrants working in a family shop
06:24 First watch vs rewatch: from “cheesy” to layered and moving
08:17 Torn between duty and dreams: Ember’s conflict and real-life parallels
12:42 “Words that felt too expensive” and finding a path into law
16:14 Going back to school at 34 and redefining success
18:34 Does the film model real cultural blending that works in the real world?
21:27 Funniest bits: Wind Breakers basketball, “try not to cry,” and mom jokes
23:59 Empathy as a superpower and why Wade lands emotionally
25:00 The moms, the perfume, and classic parental intuition
26:30 Crossing cultural lines in relationships and family reactions
28:20 Wade nudging Ember to take risks and try new things
29:05 The wisteria scene and making space for someone’s dream
30:20 From a flower to real access: opportunity as a theme
31:47 Which element are we? Team Fire gets loud
34:19 That ending: evaporation panic and what the film is really saying
37:10 Pitching Elemental 2: life beyond Element City
38:12 Expecting a “space filler,” getting a favorite instead; color and score
41:11 Names we loved: Ember as a baby name and family debates
46:28 Why this belongs in our Hall of Fame and a great pick for kids
48:15 How to support the show and suggest the next movie
Elemental uses a simple romance to talk about immigrant identity, family duty, and choosing your own path.
The movie’s humor and warmth ease viewers into heavier ideas like access and bias without losing the fun.
Personal stories about work, school, and parenting show why the film hits different for different families.
Empathy is the engine of the relationship. Wade’s openness helps Ember test limits rather than shrink from them.
The score sneaks up on you. Heard alone, it pulls you right back into Element City.
We’d watch a sequel that explores their life outside of Element City and new kinds of diversity.
“I did not expect it to hit me emotionally the way it did.”
“These words were too expensive and they’re not meant for me.”
“Try not to cry.”
“It made me cry when Wade evaporated.”
“The goal was always my son’s happiness.”
“Team fire. One hundred percent.”
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Disney Moms Gone Wrong, Elemental review, Pixar movies, family and identity, immigrant stories, parenting and movies, Disney discussion, movie night picks
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