Pixar has a reputation for pushing the boundaries of animation, and Elemental, the studio's next film, looks to continue that tradition.
Pixar's 27th film, which closely follows Disney subsidiary Turning Red and Lightyear's two 2022 releases, will hit theaters on June 16. So it's about time we got a better idea of what his plot will be.
Thankfully, Pixar is duly obligated to release an official trailer for Elemental, one of our most anticipated new movies of 2023, that not only provides new details about its story, but also gives us another look at the film's stunning visuals. Check it out below:
We honestly can't stop staring at the satisfying fluidity of Wade's watery makeup or the scorching, fiery aesthetic of Ember's design. It's a truly impressive feat to run these contrasting visuals in the same VFX engine and look as beautifully natural as they do. Did anyone else expect Elemental to be a shoe in for a Best Animated Feature nomination at the 2024 Oscars?
As for the film's story, it seems that it will focus on a platonic or romantic relationship between the fire-based Ember and the water-based Wade. At the moment, we only have a simple plot synopsis, courtesy of Pixar, to go on, which reads: "In a city where the inhabitants of fire, water, and earth live together, a feisty young woman and a go with the - flow guy is about to find out something basic: how much they really have in common." Thus, this new trailer reveals how the worlds of Ember and Wade collide and thematically explores the notion of how opposing races and forces can co-exist. A remarkable message for our times, huh?
Elementary will star Leah Lewis (Batwheels, The Half of It) as Ember and Dominion's Jurassic World: Mamoudou Athie as Wade. Newcomer Mason Wertheimer has been cast as Clod, an intelligent young Earth-based character, while Wendie McLendon-Covey (Reno 911!) will play Gale, an air-based individual. Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek) voices Wade's mother, Brook.
Pixar's last feature film was directed by longtime employee Peter Sohn, whose only other directing credit was 2016's The Good Dinosaur. However, Sohn has voiced many characters in the Pixar-Verse, including Sox in Lightyear, in addition to producing, writing, animating, and serving as a story consultant on many other Pixar films. John Hoberg and Kat Likkel (My Name is Earl, Black-ish) join Brena Hsueh (How I Met Your Mother) as lead writers for the film.
Raise the temperature in the animation genre
With the animation genre proving to be a popular medium for audiences and creators alike in 2022 — Turning Red, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish were all stunningly gorgeous movies — it looks like 2023 is set to continue on. his steps from his predecessor.
Given their penchant for innovation in animation, Pixar helps lead the pack with Elemental. However, the film is not the only new release from the studio that should wow moviegoers with its visually striking animation style, tones, cityscape backgrounds, and technological innovations.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to 2019's Into the Spider-Verse, is also set to disrupt animation media with its own innovative art style and bold colors, and it's only happening two weeks before Elemental. on June 2, which means the sixth month of 2023 will be a heated showdown for the ages.
Add the Super Mario Bros. Movie - Universal, Nintendo and Illumination's joint animated film based on Nintendo's legendary video game series - as well as Paramount's visually stunning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and stop-motion animated sequel. Netflix's Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, and this year could be one where animated movies are taken much more seriously than ever before. Let's hope the Academy and other film awards organizations take note.
For more Pixar-based content, find out why Pixar's creative director thinks Lightyear flopped at the box office. You can also find out which Pixar movies made our Best Family Movies and our Best Disney Plus Movies lists.