Words Jim Roberts

She’s Ember Lumen. He’s Wade Ripple. Fire and Water – they’re the unlikeliest of pairs on paper, but these opposing elements, brought together by chance, will discover that they’ve a lot more in common than they realise.

Elemental is drawn from the personal experience of its director Peter Sohn, famous for bringing as many smiles as broken hearts with The Good Dinosaur and voicing Lightyear’s family favourite feline, Sox. The son of Korean parents, who emigrated to New York before he was born, Sohn’s childhood as something of an outsider learning to find his place is the inspiration for an original story set in a fantastical, visually-stunning world where Fire, Water, Earth, and Air live together.

Element City showcases Pixar’s trademark animation as well as its imaginative emotional, universally-appealing storytelling as Sohn reunites with The Good Dinosaur producer Denise Ream and teams up with Finding Nemo composer Thomas Newman and Turning Red creative consultant Brenda Hseuh, who writes the screenplay, to create a film that’s sure to get a positive reaction from every fun-loving family.

In a world where opposites can’t help but react, can Ember and Wade find a way to ignite the spark that saw them attract… and avoid the risk that things could combust?

Welcome To Element City

It’s a city full of characters whose differences couldn’t be more apparent and Pixar personify the four elements with creative character design.

Water

The founding element of a city that runs on Water, not only via floating boat trains! Wade and his fellow Water residents appear as bubbly human-like beings.

Earth

The harmony between Water and Earth creates a place where walking-talking pot plants, humanoid hedges, and cacti can thrive.

Air

It’s a cool place for cloud people, too. It’s clear to see their design expands on the concept from Peter Sohn’s short Partly Cloudy.

Fire

Being the last to arrive makes it hard to fit in, especially when you’re a living flame and have a spirit as fiery as Ember’s.