See Pixar Explore An Elemental World In Upcoming Movie
Pixar's new movie Elemental explores a world divided by the four classical elements of fire, water, earth, and air.
Pixar has brought us heartwarming, coming-of-age films like Toy Story, Inside Out, Up, Turning Red, and Soul. This summer, Pixar is introducing Elemental, a brand-new movie that will likely break social barriers and inspire audiences to live their best lives. Check out the full-length trailer for a sneak peek of the new flick:
The new Pixar movie, Elemental, explores ‘Element City,’ a place that is home to elemental beings, including fire, water, earth, and air. The residents—who are divided into their own individual towns—are as diverse as elements can get, with air having their heads in the clouds, earth being a little seedy, water always getting into something, and fire running a little hot.
The one “simple” rule in Element City is that elements cannot mix. For obvious reasons, fire can easily put out water, and too much water can be detrimental to earth. However, this movie will focus on the less obvious, or less traditional, reasons why elements are not supposed to mix.
Pixar’s Elemental follows Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis), a young female flame who is destined to take over her father’s restaurant. However, when Wade, a young male drop of water (voiced by Mamoudou Athie), enters her life, she ventures out of Fire Town and begins to question her own desires and the rules set in place by her society.
The two begin to form a relationship, and even introduce one another to their loving—yet potentially resistant—families. Pixar’s Elemental looks like it will be a fun, adventurous film with a lot of heart. It will likely push boundaries and intentionally inspire audiences to get out of their element.
The clear metaphor of Pixar’s Elemental is racial divides, and the concerns that society may not want them to mix. Pixar has done a wonderful job in casting a Chinese woman (Leah Lewis) and African American man (Mamoudou Athie) to play the leads, shining light on the importance of racial diversity.
Both Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie seem new to the voiceover animation game, but they are no strangers to Hollywood. Lewis is well-known for her roles in The Half of It, Nancy Drew, and Station 19, while Athie is best known for his roles in Jurassic World: Dominion, The Circle, and Black Box.
In addition to the racial metaphor, it also looks like Elemental will focus on a common movie theme: what do we want in life? Ember is already set on a specific path that she didn’t choose for herself. Now, much like Merida in Brave, and Joe in Soul, she is opening her eyes to the world around her and wondering what exactly she wants out of life.
In traditional Pixar (and Disney) style, Elemental looks like it will entertain all ages, from young children to older adults. The trailer already teases an adult-only joke with two apple trees caught “pruning” each other.
The new movie will be available in theaters on June 16. It will be exciting to see how this film is received by audiences, and if it will inspire greater racial justice and equality.
