Elemental (2023 film)

Theatrical release poster

***Elemental*** (subtitled ***Forces of Nature*** in some countries) is a 2023 American computer-animated romantic comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream, it was written by Sohn, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh, with Pete Docter serving as executive producer. The overall 27th feature film produced by the studio, the film features 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 meet and fall in love after Wade is summoned by a plumbing accident at a convenience store owned by Ember's father, Bernie (Del Carmen).

Following the release of *The Good Dinosaur* (2015), Sohn began working on the project. He pitched the concept to Pixar to develop *Elemental* based on the idea of whether fire and water could ever connect or not. *Elemental* 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 like *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967), *Moonstruck* (1987), and *Amélie* (2001). For research, the production team spent many hours watching point-of-view city tours on YouTube like Venice and Amsterdam for inspiration. The animation tools were utilized to design the visual effects and appearance of each character, particularly Ember and Wade. Production on *Elemental* lasted for seven years, both in the studio and at the filmmakers' homes with the story being finished remotely. Thomas Newman composed and conducted the film's original score, marking his fourth collaboration with Pixar after *Finding Nemo* (2003), *WALL-E* (2008), and *Finding Dory* (2016).

*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. It received praise from critics for its animation, though its screenplay was considered underwhelming. The film has grossed $311.6 million to date against its $200 million budget.

## Plot

Fire elements Bernie and Cinder Lumen immigrate to Element City, where they face xenophobia from other elements and struggle to find a home. They have a daughter, Ember, and eventually establish a convenience store called the Fireplace, setting up a Blue Flame that represents their heritage and traditions and attracting many fire element patrons over time. Bernie intends to give the store to Ember when he retires, but first she must control her fiery temper. When Bernie allows Ember to run the shop on her own, 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, a water element and city inspector. Wade notes the faulty plumbing and reluctantly leaves for City Hall to send the violation report to his air element employer, Gale Cumulus, who will have the Fireplace shut down. Ember pursues Wade but is too late.

Taking pity on Ember, Wade brings her to Cyclone Stadium to convince Gale to reconsider the shutdown of her father's store. When Wade mentions he was investigating recurrent floods before ending up at the Fireplace, Gale gives the duo a tight deadline to find the source. If they are able to seal the leak, then the violations will be forgiven. While searching the canals for the source of the leak, Wade surmises that Ember's temper derives from her trying to tell herself something that she is not ready to accept, but Ember denies this. They then 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. Meanwhile, Bernie deals with water leaks all over the Fireplace.

Wade and Ember spend time together in the city and learn more about each other. Later, Wade informs Ember that the sandbags did not hold, so Ember uses her glassmaking ability to create a sturdier seal for the hole in the dam. Meanwhile, Cinder suspects Ember is seeing someone and follows her. Ember visits Wade's family at a luxury apartment, where she uses her fire to fix a broken glass pitcher, impressing Brook, Wade's mother, who recommends her for a glassmaking internship. Ember also plays the crying game with Wade, in which he successfully makes her cry when he admits he has feelings for her. Gale then calls Wade and gives her approval of 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 his intention to retire and hand the Fireplace to Ember. He tells Ember how, when leaving his homeland, he bowed to his father but his father refused to bow back. Wade takes Ember to Garden Central Station to see Vivisteria flowers, which she was denied seeing in childhood. With the station now flooded, Gale provides Ember with an air bubble for safety while Wade pushes her underwater through the station. Afterward, Wade and Ember realize that they are able to touch without harming each other and share a romantic dance, but Ember is reminded of her duty to the Fireplace and her family's prejudice against water elements, and leaves, upsetting Wade.

As Ember is about to take over the Fireplace, Wade appears and professes his love for her, while also letting it slip that she caused the broken pipe. Ember rejects Wade, but Cinder senses genuine affection. Disappointed, Bernie decides not to retire and denies Ember the store. Soon after, the new 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.

When 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 Wade has seeped into the stone ceiling, Ember plays the crying game to get him to drip back into his normal form. Ember reciprocates Wade's affection and they kiss.

Months later, Wade and Ember, now a couple, leave Element City so Ember can study glassmaking far away and travel the world together. Before she boards the ship, Ember bows to Bernie who returns the gesture.

## Voice cast

* Leah Lewis as Ember Lumen, a tough, quick-witted fire element who loves working at her family's convenience store in Fire Town, but has trouble controlling her explosive temper. If she touched water, she would be extinguished, so she holds an umbrella to guard herself. Ember is described as "relatable and likable, not scary and terrifying". Lewis was chosen due to her role in *The Half of It* (2020).
	+ Clara Lin Ding as young Ember
	+ Reagan To as teenage Ember
* Mamoudou Athie as Wade Ripple, a fun, sappy water element who is making his own choices and works as an inspector living in Element City. In terms of his density and movement, Wade is a lot heavier, and his body is more fluid and wavy than Ember's body is. He is described as "very emotional and cries at the drop of a hat". Athie based his performance on his own ability to cry.
* Ronnie del Carmen as Bernie Lumen, Ember's father, Cinder's husband, and owner of their family's convenience store in Fire Town who plans to retire to allow his daughter to run the convenience store. He is distrustful of water elements.
* Shila Ommi as Cinder Lumen, Ember's mother and Bernie's wife who is also distrustful of water elements.
* Wendi McLendon-Covey as Gale Cumulus, an air element with a big personality and Wade's employer. Her surname is not included in the film's credits, but it is mentioned by Fern Grouchwood.
* Catherine O'Hara as Brook Ripple, Wade, Alan and Lake's widowed mother and Harold's sister who is very welcoming to Ember in a luxury apartment building.
* Mason Wertheimer as Clod, a young, street-smart earth element and the Lumens' neighbor who has a crush on Ember. Wertheimer made his feature film debut following the mockumentary podcast series *Past My Bedtime* (2022).
* Ronobir Lahiri as Harold, Brook's brother and Wade and Alan's uncle.
* Wilma Bonet as Flarrietta, one of the customers at the Fireplace.
* Joe Pera as Fern Grouchwood, an overgrown earth element bureaucrat who works at City Hall.
* Matt Yang King as:
	+ Alan Ripple, Wade's older brother, Lake's oldest sibling and Eddy's husband.
	+ Lutz, an avid air ball player who plays for the Windbreakers at Cyclone Stadium.
	+ Earth Pruner
* Jeff LaPensee as Sparkler Customer
* Ben Morris as Wood Immigration Official. His name pin and the subtitles of the film's promotional campaign reveal his name to be C. C. Stump.
* Jonathan Adams as Flarry, one of the customers at the Fireplace.
* Alex Kapp as:
	+ Customer
	+ Delivery Person
	+ Earth Landlord
* P.L. Brown as Doorman

Although they were credited as "additional voices", other members of Wade's family appear in the film including:

* Innocent Onanovie Ekakitie as Marco and Polo Ripple, two of Wade's nephews.
* Krysta Gonzales as Eddy Ripple, Alan's wife and Wade and Lake's sister-in-law.
* Ava Kai Hauser as Lake Ripple, Wade and Alan's youngest siblings and Ghibli's love interest. *Elemental* was noted for introducing Pixar's first non-binary character.
* Maya Aoki Tuttle as Ghibli, Lake's girlfriend.

Other additional voices in the film include Dylan Buccieri, Assaf Cohen, Jessica DiCicco, Terri Douglas, Karen Huie, Arif S. Kinchen, Austin Madison, Cole Massie, Scott Menville, Alisha Mullally, Fred Tatasciore, Kari Wahlgren, and Secunda Wood.