Pixar is returning in 2023 with Elemental, showcasing a world in which the elements are people, and here are the different kinds that have been revealed thus far. Elemental will be the 27th feature film from Pixar Animation Studios, and finally, following a nerve-racking past few years, it will release in theaters. Peter Sohn is at the helm as director, drawing inspiration from his own upbringing in New York City. Sohn has a storied past with Pixar as a director, writer, artist, and voice actor. Most recently, he voiced the lovable robotic cat Sox in Elemental’s predecessor, Lightyear.
The big thing to know about Elemental is that it is scheduled to debut in theaters on June 16th. It stars Leah Lewis from CW’s Nancy Drew and Mamoudou Athie of Cake and Archive 81 fame. Enticingly, Elemental is a romantic comedy, a first for the franchise, and while there’s only been one teaser trailer released so far, it does look to be a fun and heartwarming story. What sets Elemental apart from any other romantic comedy or any other Pixar film is that it's set in Element City, where the four elements live and thrive.
Fire
Elemental breathing life into the four elements is just the latest in the classic Pixar “what if X had feelings” formula. Compared to the other elements, fire has only been represented by one character thus far in the trailer. Leah Lewis voices the female lead, Ember Lumen, who is described as a “fiery young woman” with a bold and quick wit.
However, concept art for Elemental does show that other fire elements should feature, coming in various shapes and sizes. Intriguingly, the choice not to show her fellow fire elements seems like an indicator of how they might function in this reality. It seems probable that Ember might be a little fish in a big pond and that Element City is not the easiest place for a fire element to live.
Water
Opposite Lewis is Athie as Wade Ripple, a water element who was teased in an easter egg in Lightyear, as Pixar is wont to do. While Ember is all alone, Element City seems like a perfect place for water elements, and many were also shown in the trailer for Elemental. The city looks to be made of various waterways with train-like boats serving as public transportation. In the trailer, Ember even walks past a water element chilling in a pool in one of the boat-trains, clearly showing how Element City is far better suited for water than it is for the other elements.
Wade is described as a “go-with-the-flow guy,” which is quite different compared to Ember. In fact, as they are opposing elements, Ember and Wade can’t touch. That’s a development that could help Elemental overtake WALL-E as Pixar’s best love story. As for the other water elements, they all seem to have bubbles for hair and drip their water randomly.
Air
While fire and water and their incompatible connection will presumably be the central focus of Elemental, the air elements have a lot of cool things to offer. They seem to be primarily made of fluffy clouds, varying in structure as real clouds do, although concept art showcases some wispy and fog-like air elements as well. The biggest air element moment from the trailer was when one entered the boat-train and floated to the top to sit on the ceiling. That’s certainly something only they can do.
While Elemental plays an Inside Out trick by anthropomorphizing the elements, thanks to the air elements’ cloudy visage, it also brings to mind the Pixar short, Partly Cloudy, that played before Up in theaters. Aptly, that was also written and directed by Peter Sohn. Perhaps Partly Cloudy germinated somewhat in Sohn’s mind into what would become Elemental, and the film will also feature an air element transforming into a storm cloud.
Earth
Joining the air elements, presumably, on the back burner in Elemental are the earth elements. Intriguingly, they are the most diverse of all the elements when it comes to their design. As shown in the trailer, the majority are plant-based, with some being completely covered in grass, while others are more tree-like. However, a few are shown to be growing gemstones like spiky hair out of their soil-like bodies instead.
Elemental is Pixar’s most important movie in years, so it faces a bit of an uphill battle. Nevertheless, just in examining the sheer variety of distinct character designs for the earth elements alone, it looks like Elemental can certainly live up to or even exceed the haughty expectations. Beyond water and fire, it will be interesting to witness how all the elements interact with the others. The trailer did show that a sneeze from a water element helps an earth element’s grass grow. Particularly, as counterparts, earth and air’s relationship should be showcased amidst the “opposites react” love story in Pixar’s Elemental.