Disney and Pixar’s next film, Elemental, set for summer 2023
Director Peter Sohn shares concept art for the 27th Pixar film
Hot off the success of Turning Red, Disney and Pixar have announced that its next movie, Elemental, will be released next June. The animation giant also released concept art (above) for the new film, directed by Peter Sohn (The Good Dinosaur) and produced by Denise Realm (The Good Dinosaur, Cars 2).
As Pixar described the story on Twitter: “In a city where fire, water, land, & air residents live together, a fiery young woman & a go-with-the-flow guy will discover something elemental: How much they have in common.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the unlikely pair depicted in the concept art by Sohn are called Ember and Wade, and their adventure is loosely based on the director’s childhood growing up in New York. Sohn said in a statement:
“My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx. 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.”
If you’re wondering how this film might compare to Avatar: The Last Airbender (another element-based animated classic), Sohn only had this intriguing tidbit to add, per THR: “Our story is based on the classic elements—fire, water, land and air. Some elements mix with each other, and some don’t. What if these elements were alive?”
Up before Elemental is Lightyear, Pixar’s first origin story/prequel to a previous franchise (Toy Story). That film will also be the studio’s first return to theaters since the COVID-19 pandemic bumped its releases to streaming on Disney+. Disney and Pixar fans will no doubt relish the chance to see a brand new, original film on the big screen when Elemental rolls around next summer.
Elemental hits theaters on June 16, 2023.