Before we jump into the ending of “Elemental” and dive deep into its many themes, let’s do a quick recap of the big moments that lead up to the finale. Because Ember’s parents are heavily discriminated against when they arrive in Element City, there are a lot of cultural tensions that mainly come from Ember’s dad Bernie (voiced by Ronnie del Carmen). Not only does he show disdain towards anyone who isn’t a part of the fire community, but he also instills a sense of legacy within Ember that makes her feel her only option in life is to take over his shop. However, once Wade drops into Ember’s life, both of their perspectives on themselves and the world start to change.
After they discover and stop a leak that could wipe out the entire fire community, Ember and Wade develop feelings for each other that make them question societal perspectives of whether they can be together. They have a very beautiful moment where they discover that they can touch and are nearly unable to resist their feelings for each other. However, Ember isn’t ready to pursue her feelings for Wade or her inner artistic talents if it means she can’t take over the shop. Ember ends things with Wade, but they aren’t split apart for long as something catastrophic occurs.