Inclusive city: the representation of urban diversity in the film Elemental (2023)

Abstract

The city, as a physical space, is a place of interaction and, as a social space, a territory characterized by the heterogeneity of its inhabitants. This condition gives rise to an interest in researching the concepts of diversity and inclusion so characteristic of the contemporary big city. The approach to this urban reality is carried out from a cinematographic perspective due to the importance of cinema as a socializing agent. Film analysis serves as a methodological tool to understand how the film Elemental (Peter Sohn, 2023), by Disney-Pixar, deals with urban social issues. This study investigates the sociocultural challenges facing the contemporary city based on the representation of urban diversity made by the animated film Elemental. The results point towards the configuration of a space for collaboration that promotes the common good, the governing principle of all community creation and the basic principle of the birth of cities. In addition, the general guidelines that lead to the conception of an inclusive narrative are discovered.