Elemental is a 2023 American animated romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peter Sohn, and written by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, it stars the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Catherine O'Hara. 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 spend time together in the city while trying to save a convenience store owned by Ember's father, Bernie (Del Carmen).
Development of Elemental began when Sohn pitched the concept to Pixar based on the idea of whether fire and water could ever connect or not. The film 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 such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Moonstruck (1987), and Amélie (2001). The production team conducted research by spending many hours watching point-of-view city tours on YouTube like Venice and Amsterdam for inspiration. Animation tools were utilized to design the visual effects and appearance of each character, particularly its main characters. Production on Elemental lasted for seven years, both in the studio and at the filmmakers' homes, on an estimated $200 million budget. Thomas Newman composed the score, and Lauv wrote and performed the song "Steal the Show". The film is dedicated to Pixar animators Ralph Eggleston, Amber Martorelli, J. Garrett Sheldrew, and film editor Thomas Gonzales, all of whom died in 2022.
Elemental debuted out of competition as the closing film at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 27, 2023, and was released in the United States on June 16 in RealD 3D, 4DX, and Dolby Cinema formats. The film initially opened below projections and was ultimately considered by analysts to be a sleeper hit, grossing $496.4 million worldwide. It was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Plot Following a catastrophic storm, fire elements Bernie and Cinder Lumen immigrate from Fire Land to Element City where they face racism from other classical elements. After the birth of their daughter Ember, they set up their Blue Flame which represents their traditions and start their own convenience store called the Fireplace. Several years later, Bernie intends to retire and give the store to Ember once she can control her fiery temper. When Bernie allows Ember to run the store on her own during the day of a big sale, she becomes overwhelmed by the customers and rushes to the basement. Her fiery outburst breaks a water pipe, flooding the basement and summoning Wade Ripple, an emotional water element and city inspector, who notes the store's code violations. Despite Ember's attempts to stop him, Wade travels to City Hall and reluctantly files a report of his findings, which will lead to the Fireplace shutting down. Ember keeps this a secret from her parents, and does not tell them that she is the reason why the pipe burst.
Wade brings Ember to Cyclone Stadium to persuade his air element boss Gale Cumulus to reconsider the shutdown of her father's store. Wade mentions to Ember that he was searching for a leak in the city's canals before ending up at the Fireplace, and suggests to Gale that he and Ember can track the source of the leak from the store. Gale offers to forgive the violations as long as they find and seal the leak by the end of the week. While searching the canals, Ember and Wade discover a hole in a dam that allows wave runoff from ships to flood the city's plumbing, so they close the hole with sandbags. The two spend time together in the city and learn more about each other. Meanwhile, Cinder suspects that Ember is seeing someone. The sandbags eventually fail, so Ember melts the sand into glass to form a sturdier seal. Ember visits Wade's family at a luxury apartment, where she uses her fire to fix a broken glass pitcher, impressing Wade's mother Brook, who recommends her for a glass-making internship. While playing "the Crying Game", Wade makes Ember cry by admitting he has feelings for her. Gale calls Wade and approves Ember's glass seal, thus saving the Fireplace from closure. Ember then realizes that she does not want to take over the store. As Ember arrives home, Cinder spots the two of them together.
That night, Bernie announces to Ember and Cinder that he intends to retire and hand the Fireplace to Ember. The next evening, Wade takes Ember to Garden Central Station to see Vivisteria flowers, a species that can thrive in any environment, which she and Bernie were denied seeing in her childhood. With the station now flooded, Gale provides Ember with an air bubble for safety while Wade pushes her underwater through the station. Afterward, Ember and Wade realize that they are able to touch without harming each other and share a slow dance, but Ember remembers her duty to the Fireplace and her family's prejudice against water elements, and breaks up with Wade. While Ember is about to take over the Fireplace during a party, Wade appears and declares his love for her, while also accidentally revealing that she caused the broken pipe. Ember rejects Wade, though Cinder senses genuine love. Angry and disappointed, Bernie refuses to give Ember the store and calls off his retirement.
Soon after, the glass seal on the dam breaks and the Fire district floods. After saving the Blue Flame, Ember and Wade become trapped in a room in the Fireplace, causing Wade to evaporate from the enclosed heat. After the flood recedes, a grief-stricken Ember confesses to Bernie that she does not want to run the Fireplace and expresses her love for Wade. Realizing that Wade has condensed within the stone ceiling, Ember plays the Crying Game to get him to cry and drip back into his normal form. Ember and Wade embrace and share their first kiss.
Months later, Bernie has retired and the Fireplace is now run by friends of his. Ember and Wade, now a couple, leave Element City so that Ember can start her glass-making internship.
Voice cast Leah Lewis as Ember Lumen, a tough, quick-witted fire element who works at her family's convenience store in Fire Town, but has trouble controlling her explosive temper. The filmmakers stated that it was essential for Ember to be "relatable and likable, not scary and terrifying". Lewis was chosen due to her role in The Half of It (2020). Clara Lin Ding as Little Kid Ember Reagan To as Big Kid Ember Mamoudou Athie as Wade Ripple, a sappy water element who works as a city inspector living in Element City. In terms of his density and movement, Wade is a lot heavier, and his body is more fluid and wavy than Ember's body is. The filmmakers stated that Wade is "very emotional and cries at the drop of a hat". Athie based his performance on his own ability to cry. Ronnie del Carmen as Bernie Lumen, Ember's father, Cinder's husband, and owner of their family's convenience store in Fire Town who plans to retire and pass the business down to Ember. He is distrustful of water elements. Shila Ommi as Cinder Lumen, Ember's mother and Bernie's wife who is also distrustful of water elements. Wendi McLendon-Covey as Gale Cumulus, an air element with a big personality and Wade's boss. Her surname is not included in the film's credits, but it is mentioned in the film by Fern. Catherine O'Hara as Brook Ripple, the mother of Wade, Alan and Lake and sister of Harold. Mason Wertheimer as Clod, a young earth element who has a crush on Ember. Wertheimer made his feature film debut following the mockumentary podcast series Past My Bedtime (2022). Ronobir Lahiri as Harold, Brook's brother and Wade and Alan's uncle. Wilma Bonet as Flarrietta, one of the customers at the Fireplace. Joe Pera as Fern Grouchwood, an overgrown earth element bureaucrat who works at City Hall. His surname is not included in the film's credits, but it is seen in the film on his desk nameplate. Matt Yang King as: , Wade and Lake's older brother and Eddy's husband. Lutz, an airball player who plays for the Windbreakers at Cyclone Stadium. Earth Pruner Jeff LaPensee as Sparkler Customer Ben Morris as Wood Immigration Official. His name tag reveals his name to be C. C. Stump. Jonathan Adams as Flarry, one of the customers at the Fireplace. Alex Kapp as: Customer Delivery Person Earth Landlord P.L. Brown as Doorman
Although credited as "additional voices", other members of Wade's family appear in the film including: Innocent Onanovie Ekakitie as Marco and Polo Ripple, Wade's nephews. Krysta Gonzales as Eddy Ripple, Alan's wife and Wade and Lake's sister-in-law. Ava Kai Hauser as Lake Ripple, Wade and Alan's younger sibling and Ghibli's partner. Lake is Pixar's first non-binary character. Maya Aoki Tuttle as Ghibli, Lake's girlfriend.
Other additional voices in the film include Dylan Buccieri, Assaf Cohen, Jessica DiCicco, Terri Douglas, Karen Huie, Arif S. Kinchen, Austin Madison, Cole Massie, Scott Menville, Alisha Mullally, Fred Tatasciore, Kari Wahlgren, and Secunda Wood.
Production
Development Peter Sohn, who previously directed the short film Partly Cloudy (2009) and the feature film The Good Dinosaur (2015), pitched the concept of Elemental to Pixar based on the idea of whether fire and water could ever connect or not. Sohn also said the idea for the film was inspired by his experiences as the son of immigrants in New York City in the 1970s. In his words, "My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx." He also stated: "We were among many families who ventured to a new land with hopes and dreams — all of us mixing into one big salad bowl of cultures, languages, and beautiful little neighborhoods. That's what led me to Elemental."
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sohn says the film's seven-year development period with Elemental is closely tied to his relationship with his family, and the idea first started following the release of The Good Dinosaur. He revealed that Ember was born in Element City, but grew up in a fire town, since the neighborhoods are split up. He said he was "quite emotional about getting the characters and the story out for sure." He also stated that Elemental "is about thanking your parents and understanding their sacrifices. My parents both passed away during the making of this thing. And so, it is hugely emotional, and I'm still processing a lot of it."