Pixar revealed a first look at its new animated film Elemental at D23. The footage was screened behind closed doors and hasn’t been revealed online – however, we were in the room and can report that the film is visually somewhere between Inside Out and Zootopia.
The film introduced the film, focusing on the visuals and the two protagonists, Ember and Wade, who are voiced by Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie and represent fire and water. Director Peter Sohn introduced the new Pixar film, explaining that it was inspired by his parents moving to New York.
According to the film’s official synopsis, Elemental follows an unlikely couple, Ember and Wade, in a city where the inhabitants of fire, water, earth and air live together. The fiery young woman and the passionate guy are about to discover something fundamental: how much they really have in common. Directed by Peter Sean, the good dinosaur, the film is inspired by his childhood in New York.
“My parents immigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a busy grocery store in the Bronx,” Sohn previously said. “We were among many families venturing into a new land with hopes and dreams—we were all mixing in a big salad bowl of cultures, languages, and beautiful little neighborhoods. That’s what led me to Elemental.”
He added: “Our story is based on the classic elements – fire, water, earth and air. Some elements mix together and some don’t. What if these elements were alive?”
Elemental is set to be released on June 16, 2023. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the other upcoming movies on the horizon, this year and beyond.
