Disney has had it rough since the start of the 20s. Despite movies being good by themselves, Buzz Lightyear and The Little Mermaid were flops. Elemental was also a flop, despite being good... just not excellent.
A couple of Fierys moves to Element City. Not only can't they communicate with locals (at first), but no one wants to see them. They do settle in the outskirts with other Fierys and open a fire shop. They raise their daughters whom, they hope, will one day take over. But her "fiery" temper is quite the hindrance...
As I said in the title, Elemental is an obvious metaphor for differences; the 2 main protagonists are Fire and Water. All through the movie, we see them struggle very hard to be together - Fire father is especially hateful of Water. In that sense, Zootopia was a better tale of tolerance.
Nevertheless, adding an element of immigration gave a different twist to Elemental which most movies (even live-action) hardly touch. When Ember meets the "in-laws", they are surprised she "speaks so well"... even though she lived in the area all her life.
Also, the "follow your heart/dreams" trope is introduced more subtely than in other movies, again mixing the element of immigration and staying faithful to your roots/parents. Ember's voice passion and emotions are so raw and genuine, I almost shed a a tear when her conflicting emotions rise to the surface.
In short, while inferior to Zootopia. Elemental is still worth a watch. It has humor of younger and older people and plays its "elements" card well. Ember sculpts sand to make beautiful glass art and spoiler alter
reconstitute her boyfriend because he merely evaporated.
Final rating: 4/5