Elemental is an upcoming American computer-animated romantic comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream, it is written by John Hoberg and Kat Likkel, Brenda Hsueh,[a] and Sohn, with Pete Docter serving as executive producer. The overall twenty-seventh feature film produced by the studio, the film stars the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O'Hara, Mason Wertheimer, Joe Pera, and Matt Yang King. Set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic elements of nature, the story follows fire element Ember Lumen (Lewis) and water element Wade Ripple (Athie), who meet and fall in love after Wade is summoned by a plumbing accident at a convenience store owned by Ember's bigoted father Bernie (Carmen). While they cannot touch each other, Ember and Wade discover how much they actually have in common.
Following the release of The Good Dinosaur (2015), Sohn began working on the project when the idea first started. He pitched the concept to Pixar to develop Elemental based on the idea of whether fire and water could ever connect or not. Elemental draws inspiration from Sohn's youth, growing up as the son of immigrants in New York City during the 1970s, highlighting the city's distinct cultural and ethnic diversity, while the story is inspired by romantic films, like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Moonstruck (1987), and Amélie (2001). Rather than visit countries for research, the team spent many hours watching POV city tours on YouTube like Venice and Amsterdam for inspiration. The animation tools were utilized to design the visual effects and appearance of each character, particularly Ember Lumen and Wade Ripple. Production on Elemental lasted for seven years, both in the studio and at the filmmakers' homes, with the story being finished remotely. Thomas Newman, who had worked on prior Pixar animated features, composed and conducted the film's original score.
Elemental will debut 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.
Synopsis :
In Element City, fire, water, earth and air live in perfect harmony. This is where Flam, a fearless and quick-witted young woman with a strong character, and Flack, a sentimental and fun-loving boy who is more of a follower at heart, live. Their friendship challenges Flam's beliefs about the world they live in...
Elemental
Directed by Peter Sohn
Screenplay by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, Brenda Hsueh
Story by Peter Sohn, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, Brenda Hsueh
Produced by Denise Ream
Starring Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O'Hara, Mason Wertheimer, Joe Pera, Matt Yang King
Cinematography : David Bianchi, Jean-Claude Kalache
Edited by Stephen Schaffer
Music by Thomas Newman
Production companies : Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates : May 27, 2023 (Cannes), June 16, 2023 (United States), June 21 2023 (France)
