Elemental is a 2023 American animated romantic comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Peter Sohn and written by Sohn, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh. It stars the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Catherine O'Hara. Set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic elements of nature, the story follows fire element Ember Lumen (Lewis) and water element Wade Ripple (Athie), who spend time together in the city while trying to save a convenience store owned by Ember's father, Bernie (Del Carmen). Development of Elemental began when Sohn pitched the concept to Pixar based on the idea of whether fire and water could ever connect or not. The film draws inspiration from Sohn's youth, growing up as the son of immigrants in New York City during the 1970s, highlighting the city's distinct cultural and ethnic diversity while the story is inspired by romantic films such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Moonstruck (1987), and Amélie (2001). The production team conducted research by spending many hours watching point-of-view city tours on YouTube like Venice and Amsterdam for inspiration. Animation tools were utilized to design the visual effects and appearance of each character, particularly its main characters. Production on Elemental lasted for seven years, both in the studio and at the filmmakers' homes, on an estimated $200 million budget. Thomas Newman composed the score, and Lauv wrote and performed the song "Steal the Show". The film is dedicated to Pixar animators Ralph Eggleston, Amber Martorelli, J. Garrett Sheldrew, and film editor Thomas Gonzales, all of whom died in 2022. Elemental debuted out of competition as the closing film at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 27, 2023, and was released in the United States on June 16 in RealD 3D, 4DX, and Dolby Cinema formats. The film initially opened below projections and was ultimately considered by analysts to be a sleeper hit, grossing $496.4 million worldwide. It was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Plot Fire elements Bernie and Cinder Lumen immigrate from Fire Land to Element City where they face racism from other classical elements. After the birth of their daughter Ember Lumen, they set up their Blue Flame which represents their traditions and start their own convenience store called the Fireplace. Several years later, Bernie intends to retire and give the store to Ember once she can control her fiery temper. When Bernie allows Ember to run the store on her own during the day of a sale, she becomes overwhelmed by the customers and rushes to the basement. Her fiery outburst breaks a water pipe, flooding the basement and summoning Wade Ripple, an emotional water element and city inspector, who notes the faulty plumbing. Despite Ember's attempts to stop him, Wade travels to City Hall and reluctantly files a report of his findings with his air element boss, Gale Cumulus, who will have the Fireplace shut down. Ember keeps this a secret from her parents, and does not tell them that she is the reason why the pipe burst. Wade brings Ember to Cyclone Stadium to persuade Gale to reconsider the shutdown of her father's store. Wade mentions to Ember that he was searching for a leak in the city's canals before ending up at the Fireplace, and suggests to Gale that he and Ember can track the source of the leak from the store. Gale offers to forgive the violations as long as they find and seal the leak by the end of the week. While searching the canals, Ember and Wade discover a hole in a dam that allows wave runoff from ships to flood the city's plumbing, so they close the hole with sandbags. The two spend time together in the city and learn more about each other. Meanwhile, Cinder suspects that Ember is seeing someone. The sandbags eventually fail, so Ember melts the sand into glass to form a sturdier seal. Ember visits Wade's family at a luxury apartment, where she uses her fire to fix a broken glass pitcher, impressing Wade's mother Brook, who recommends her for a glass-making internship. While playing "the Crying Game", Wade makes Ember cry by admitting he has feelings for her. Gale calls Wade and approves Ember's glass seal, thus saving the Fireplace from closure. Ember then realizes that she does not want to take over the store. Bernie announces to Ember and Cinder his intention to retire and hand the Fireplace to Ember. The next evening, Wade takes Ember to Garden Central Station to see Vivisteria flowers, a species that can thrive in any environment, which she and Bernie were denied seeing in her childhood. With the station now flooded, Gale provides Ember with an air bubble for safety while Wade pushes her underwater through the station. Afterward, Ember and Wade realize that they are able to touch without harming each other and share a slow dance, but Ember remembers her duty to the Fireplace and her family's prejudice against water elements, and breaks up with Wade. While Ember is about to take over the Fireplace during a party, Wade appears and declares his love for her, while also accidentally revealing that she caused the broken pipe. Ember rejects Wade, though Cinder senses genuine love. Angry and disappointed, Bernie refuses to give Ember the store and calls off his retirement. Soon after, the glass seal on the dam breaks and the Fire district floods. After saving the Blue Flame, Ember and Wade become trapped in a room in the Fireplace, causing Wade to evaporate from the enclosed heat. After the flood recedes, a grief-stricken Ember confesses to Bernie that she does not want to run the Fireplace and expresses her love for Wade. Realizing that Wade has condensed within the stone ceiling, Ember plays the Crying Game to get him to cry and drip back into his normal form. Ember and Wade embrace and share their first kiss. Months later, Bernie has retired and the Fireplace is now run by friends of his. Ember and Wade, now a couple, leave Element City so that Ember can start her glass-making internship.
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