Pixar’s Elemental is refreshing and unique. After watching about 30 minutes of footage, I fell in love with Pixar’s first Rom-Com.
Pixar invited me to head to their studios and check out about thirty minutes of footage from their upcoming film, Elemental. It only took about half of that to fall head over heels in love with Ember and Wade, the two stars. While this is much more than a romantic comedy, it IS a romantic comedy — Pixar’s first.
This story takes place in Element City, where Water, Land, Air, and Fire come together to live. They all live in harmony, for the most part. When it comes to fire, the city was not designed with them in mind. This means they are outcasts to an extent. They must cross a bridge to get to the heart of the city from their part of town.
Pixar’s Elemental Footage Details
The opening scene depicts Ember’s parents arriving at Element City. It is as if they are coming to Ellis Island for a new life. Their names are hard to say; therefore, they are changed to something easier (Burny and Cinder). The other elements do not want to rent to them for fear of being burned or even just because they are different than them. They build a shop from the ground up which carries many things from their homeland.
It is shown that Element City was built by Water. Then Land arrived. Next air. And finally, Fire. Ember’s parents are immigrants; however, she was born there. Over time, we see Ember grow up. She wants nothing more than to take over the shop and let her father retire. However, she must learn to manage her anger first, which often gets the better of her.
On one particular day, she rushes away to avoid losing it in front of the customers. It is here that she meets Wade, an extremely emotional water elemental. I won’t go into details, but the two are forced to spend some time together, and this is when viewers will start to root for them as a couple, even though it is impossible for them to touch.
Visitors to the Elemental press event were also treated to a few scenes that take place later in the film. One of which we were able to view in 3D, which was absolutely stunning. There is a sporting event that Ember and Wade attend. Here, we meet Gale, an Air elemental who happens to be Wade’s boss. This is where Ember and Wade are walking through the city. She shows him how she can change colors with the minerals, and he shows her how he can make a rainbow by running across the water.
The scene that D23 attendees saw has been updated with a new and extremely catchy song. It makes the connection between Wade and Ember apparent. We also see a scene where we meet Wade’s family, who are hilarious, fun, and just like him. His mother, Brook, is voiced by the extremely talented Catherine O’Hara. It is clear to see where Wade gets his emotions from once we meet them.
Pixar’s Elemental Footage Reaction
Elemental is a refreshing change of pace. It feels like a step back to classic Pixar while also delivering something completely new. It is best described as Pixar’s first Rom-Com. It is easy to see that audiences will instantly fall in love with Wade and Ember.
One of the best things about this film is that each element is unique in its look and movement. It seems as though four different animation styles were mixed together, but in a way that makes perfect sense. The elements all perfectly embody what they are modeled after. As we learned in speaking with the artists, they are not human; they ARE fire, water, air, and land. Because of this, they need to move that way.
Besides the love story aspect of Pixar’s Elemental, there are themes and messaging of xenophobia. Ember and her family are very clearly treated differently by some of the characters, and it is easy to see that it is not easy for them in Element City.
If the footage that we saw is any indication of how the entire movie is going to play out, this is going to be a big hit for Pixar.
NEXT: All Pixar Movies Ranked From Worst To Best
About Pixar’s Elemental
Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” an all-new, original feature film set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.
Directed by Peter Sohn, produced by Denise Ream, and featuring the voices of Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie as Ember and Wade, respectively.
Elemental will be exclusively in theaters June 16th, 2023.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.