It’s a muddle, frankly, and the beauty of the animation can’t wholly compensate, especially given the mostly witless dialogue and the fact the traditional Pixar ease with plot construction seems to have evaporated (like a few animated blockbusters of late, this one could really use a good old-fashioned villain).

The core problem is that the ground rules of the fantasy are never established, as they need to be if we’re going to invest in it for almost two hours. How taboo is it, exactly, for different elements to fall in love? From what we’re shown directly, we might suppose it’s never happened before – but when Wade brings Ember to dinner, his family are full of patronising but genuine goodwill.

Towards the end, I started to wonder: could it be at the deepest level Elemental isn’t really about race at all, but is using this overtly proclaimed theme as a cover for anxieties about sex, and the whole idea of two people making physical contact?

If so, the fumbled, tentative quality of the storytelling is easier to understand, given this is first and foremost a film for kids. By Pixar standards, at any rate, Ember and Wade’s final clinch may be as steamy as it gets.

Elemental is in cinemas from June 15.