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Credit: Inside the MagicThere are two types of Disney fans, those who have seen Elemental and those who haven’t. Pixar’s animated love story between the fiery Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) and the emotional Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie) is a critical wonder but a financial flop by usual Disney standards. While that might sound like a death sentence for the film, it’s a song we’ve heard before.
The fact of the matter is that Peter Sohn’s rom-com was simply marketed entirely wrong, but does that necessarily mean it’s a complete bomb? While it might not have done well in theaters, Disney+ could tell a different story.
Elemental and the Treasure Planet Effect
What do Turning Red, Encanto, and The Nightmare Before Christmas share? They were all tremendous successes once they hit home release, and Elemental is being set up for the same fate. None of the films mentioned were terrible, but their performance in theaters wasn’t as spectacular as a Disney film should be.
Not only that, but Pixar’s latest also comes with a side of controversy to go with it, as did Turning Red, which might persuade some viewers to watch it more. Some of Disney’s best and brightest fall into this category which some are starting to refer to as “The Treasure Planet Effect.”
@msamnesia on TikTok goes into excruciating (and explicit) detail on the Treasure Planet Effect, and she explains it as Disney releasing an animated feature at the same time as another big, animated box office hit after months of poor marketing. As Treasure Planet sunk in the wake of the Harry Potter craze, Elemental could be experiencing the same outcome.
The way the user puts it, it’s like Disney is throwing away projects they don’t seem to support, and that will be a problem for their animation studios. However, their streaming service will not only revive interest in the film but introduce it to a broader audience in the process.
First came The Nightmare Before Christmas, then Atlantis: The Lost Empire, then Treasure Planet. It seems like Elemental will be Pixar’s contribution to Disney’s library of cult films. The movie has an audience, and it’s a critical success; it’s only a matter of time before it sees its full potential.