Elemental

Both Disney and Pixar are getting ready to transport us to wonderful worlds populated by lovable animated characters while they teach us valuable lessons about life and each other.

“Elemental”: Release Date, Powerful Plot, Telling Trailer – including details about Upcoming Pixar Film

Audiences of all ages have come to expect innovative stories about self-love, courage, empathy, and following one’s aspirations from Pixar ever since 2015’s Inside Out.

New studio film “Elemental” aims to maintain that influence with a message of unity in the face of diversity.

In this warm and fuzzy tale, the protagonist and antagonist both try to put their problems behind them by any means necessary, including getting themselves into some serious trouble.

• When can we expect the release of “Elemental”?

Elemental debuted out of competition as the closing film at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 27, 2023, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on June 16, in RealD 3D, 4DX, and Dolby Cinema formats.

The last theatrical release of an original Pixar picture was March 2020’s Onward, a road trip adventure. Due to the COVID epidemic, the studio opted to release their following three films directly on Disney+ rather than in theaters.

The stakes for Elemental are high because the Toy Story spin-off Lightyear was released in theaters last summer and bombed at the box office.

Wes Anderson’s star-studded comedy Asteroid City from Focus Features, Lionsgate’s horror comedy The Blackening, and Warner Bros.’ DC superhero blockbuster The Flash will all be opening on the same day as this film.

• What about a teaser for “Elemental”?

The full official trailer for Elemental was released online by Pixar on March 28, 2023.

The trailer reveals much more of what to expect from the plot of the film as we see both Ember and Wade’s relationships with their respective parents as well as introducing each other to their families.

The trailer also showcases a more stylized animation style than what we are used to with Pixar and how they maneuver around Element City.

Dreamy, sweet, and definitely silly, the Elemental teaser trailer introduces viewers to the four different kinds of residents that reside in the Element City, along with its two main characters, Ember and Wade.

Puffs of air, lumps of land, drops of water, and fiery flames board a bustling train in the minute-long preview that also introduces some of the physics of this new universe.

The air-beings can float around and even sit upside-down on the train’s ceiling.

A water-being drops her lipstick when the train hits a bump, and the product lands inside of her, floating around her head.

She may need to visit the filter station that the train passes by in order to get it removed.

A land-being smiles at the newly sprouted grass atop his head and Ember is injured when Wade accidentally drips water onto her hand.

• Can you summarize the story of “Elemental” for me?

Ember and Wade live in a bustling bayside city connected by bridges.

Many of the residents live in towering skyscrapers designed for their specific elements.

The land-beings buildings are covered in lush greenery, where its earthy residents grow and take care of their sprouts; water-beings are able to travel via water slide, and windmills power the homes of air-beings.

It appears though, that the fire-beings live on the other side of the bridge, in low buildings, each adorned with a chimney billowing smoke out of the small, cozy homes.

Why do the fire-beings live separately from the others? Perhaps to keep the air-beings from evaporating, or to keep the land-beings many trees and plants from getting burned, or to keep the water-beings from accidentally putting out their flames.

In the trailer, we aren’t only introduced to the elements but to how they interact with one another, which gives insight to the film’s possible plot.

A water-being sneezes and as a result, a land-being’s grass grows; an air-being excitedly smells the flowers growing from a land-beings armpit, though another land-being with a wooden nose warily pulls her child away from the smoldering Ember as she passes by.

Similarly, when she passes by an air-being, a portion of his head evaporates, then reappears once she is gone.

And, when water drips from Wade’s hand as he attempts to help Ember pick up her fallen headphones, her hand sizzles and in a twinge of pain she says “Ow.”

It is also of note that Ember, the only fire-being on the train, appears to be wearing a coat made of heat-resistant material, possibly required in order to protect her fellow Element City residents from her powerful heat.

Ember’s struggle to navigate the city and have relationships with its residents appears to be what will drive the film’s plot.

With the phrase “opposites react”, a play on the saying “opposites attract”, showing on screen after the two main characters meet, many viewers are wondering if Elemental will have a romantic element and if the tall drink of water will catch feelings for this new flame.

We will have to wait and see if things get a little (PG-rated) steamy between the two as they attempt to create meaningful change in their city.

• What actors provide the voices for “Elemental”?

Voice actor Mamoudou Athie gives life to Wade Ripple.

Wade has a reputation for being easygoing. He’s not used to being the center of attention, thus he and Ember’s disruptive actions in the Elemental realm seem to make him uneasy.

Mamoudou Athie’s first foray into voice acting will be in Elemental.

Fans of either the 2022 film Jurassic World: Dominion or the Netflix thriller series Archive 81 may recognize him as Ramsay Cole.

Leah Lewis will provide the voice of Ember Lumen. Ember is a real spark plug.

She lives on what might be a fire island and, from the top of her house, longingly surveys the high-tech metropolis on the other side of the bridge.

Lewis is also working on her first role as a voice actor, but she has already completed her first for Elemental.

Actress Leah Lewis is well-known for her roles as Georgia ‘George’ Fan in the Nancy Drew series and as the nerdy romantic underdog Ellie Chu in the Netflix drama The Half of It.

In the upcoming animated adventure film The Tiger’s Apprentice, Lewis will lend his voice to the role of Räv. The film’s nearly exclusively Asian/Pacific Islander ensemble also includes Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians).

Pixar also released a full teaser, introducing the audience to the rest of the cast besides Athie and Lewis.

Bernie, Ember’s dad, will be voiced by Ronnie del Carmen (Soul).

Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs) will play Wade’s boss Gale, and Shila Ommi (Tehran) will play Ember’s mom Cinder.

Wade’s mom, Brook, will be played by Schitt’s Creek’s Catherine O’Hara.

Mason Wertheimer, a newcomer, will lend his voice to Ember’s new friend Clod.

Joe Pera (Joe Pera Talks with You) will lend his voice as Fern, a “overgrown city bureaucrat.”

• Who is making “Elemental”?

Peter Sohn, who has been with Disney and Pixar since 2000, will helm this film.

Though he has worked in the art department on films like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles and has voiced roles in Lightyear and Luca, this is his first acknowledged directorial position.

Elemental was written by Brenda Hsueh, and fans of these films can’t wait to see how the producers change the script.

Hsueh is most recognized for her work as a producer and writer on adult comedy series like How I Met Your Mother and Truth Be Told, but she has also consulted for the Turning Red director, Domee Shi, on a strong Disney Pixar film about a young woman coming of age.

In addition to producer Denise Ream, recognized for her work on Up, Cars 2, and Toy Story 4, writer Pete Doctor (Inside Out, Up, Soul, and Wall-E) has taken on the job of executive producer.

• Where Can I See “Elemental”?

Just like with Lightyear, the only way to see Elemental is in a theater.

As many films are making a comeback in theaters, Disney has abandoned its early streaming of its feature films through the Disney+ Premiere Access option, which cost an additional $30 per film on top of the audience’s monthly subscription.

• Is “Elemental” Streamable for You?

Typically, the studio waits 45-90 days after a film’s theatrical release before making it accessible for home purchase or streaming online.

It’s likely that Disney+ will be the only streaming service that offers Elemental whenever it becomes available.

Trailer