If there’s one thing that Pixar is good at (and there are many), it’s taking the basics of life and making them into movies that will wrench your soul apart and leave you in a blubbering, existential mess… and you’ll be happy about it. Elemental appears to be that next movie for Pixar, though the new teaser trailer only gives off charming vibes.
In the teaser, we see what might be Pixar’s first true meet cute as Ember (get it?), a humanoid flame, bumps into Wade (get it?), a talking blob of water. The pair will strike up an unlikely friendship as Ember’s fiery and belligerent personality comes into conflict with Wade’s more laid-back lifestyle. But maybe, they really need each other? I’m sure we’ll all learn a very valuable lesson by the end of the movie while we have our emotions played with.
There’s definitely more to the plot that we don’t know about yet, but what is clear from the teaser trailer is that the world of Elemental is relentlessly charming. Feeling like something out of a Miyazaki film, Ember’s stroll through the subway she’s on is nothing short of enchanting as we see creatures made out of the four elements — earth, wind, water, and fire. Little sight gags and clever character design abound. Other than that, we’ll have to wait for a fuller trailer to get an idea of the full story.
The film is directed by Pixar stalwart Peter Sohn, who also directed the under-viewed and underrated The Good Dinosaur, though Elemental feels like it has a bit more in common with the likes of Inside Out or Soul than that film. Leah Lewis is voicing Ember and Mamoudou Athie will voice Wade. In the producer’s chair is Denise Ream.
Elemental will release in theaters on June 16, 2023.
