Pixar has been on a bit of a roll of late. After years of (admittedly still very entertaining) sequels, the animation studio’s recent output has been a string of original stories from its set of filmmakers. This year's Turning Red marked a real creative evolution for the Pixar formula, and even Lightyear looks to be more than just a straight-up Toy Story spinoff. That streak looks set to continue into 2023, because the studio has just confirmed its next feature, and it’s another total original. Get ready for Elemental.
Due for release in summer 2023, Elemental is directed by The Good Dinosaur’s Peter Sohn – and its concept sound particularly Pixar, imagining a world where living embodiments of fire, water, land and air cohabit, centred on flame-girl Ember and water-guy Wade. Check out some concept art here:
Just as Onward and Turning Red turned their directors’ formative years into imaginative fantasy concepts, Elemental seems to be a similarly personal work for Sohn. “My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx,” he says in a press statement. “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. 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?”
Elemental is due to arrive on 16 June 2023 – though it’s currently unconfirmed whether it’ll be yet another Disney+ release for Pixar, or a cinematic release like Lightyear. It’ll be the only Pixar film to arrive next year, with two as-yet-untitled projects to follow in 2024. Meanwhile, Lightyear is just a month away – currently due to hit cinemas from 17 June.