On Monday, Disney revealed the title and release date for the next Pixar film. Elemental is the title of Pixar’s 27th feature film, which will be directed by Peter Sohn produced by Denise Ream. It is scheduled to arrive on June 16, 2023. Elemental is set in an universe where the four natural elements (fire, water, land, and air) are alive and coexist. Ember, a feisty young woman, and Wade, a laid-back guy, will star in the film. Elemental was inspired by Sohn’s childhood in New York City, according to a press statement.
Wade and Ember, a go-with-the-flow guy and a fiery woman with contrasting elements, will take viewers on a journey in Elemental. They’ll travel together to a city where all four elements, earth, wind, fire, and water, coexist. Considering the seeming differences between fire and water, they’ll discover how much they have in common along the journey. Early concept art shows how the city’s features have melded together, with buildings covered in greenery and flowers and massive industrial fans protruding from the skyline. Wade and Ember are seen soaking in the views, splashing water and bursting into flames as they move.
Sohn’s experiences growing up in New York inspired the picture, with the traditional Pixar twist of bringing something that isn’t ordinarily alive to life. He said, “My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx.” He continued, “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.”
Pixar has one more feature on its calendar for the year, the Toy Story spinoff Lightyear, before the attention can fully shift to Elemental. It tells the origin of Buzz Lightyear, following the character the toy is based on, and stars Chris Evans as the eponymous spacefarer.