Pixar Unveils Details of Their Next Project, Elemental

Details of the next (no doubt delightful) Pixar outing have now been revealed. Set for release in 2023, Disney and Pixar will once again endear audiences with Elemental, another original vision from the celebrated animation studio. Revealed by the studio via Twitter, Elemental is slated for release in summer 2023, with the official title and some concept art teasing yet another Pixar triumph.

The concept art clearly teases more of the detail and genius world-building that Pixar is well-known for with the likes of Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Inside Out, and oh so many others. The plot of Elemental imagines a world where living embodiments of fire, water, land and air cohabit, with the story set to center on flame-girl Ember and water-guy Wade. “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,” the caption reads.

First, they gave toys feelings. Then came monsters. Soon after, feelings were given feelings. And now it will be the very elements themselves imbued with emotion. Much like the best of Pixar, Elemental comes from a personal place for director Peter Sohn, who will draw upon his experiences growing up in “one big salad bowl of cultures, languages and beautiful little neighborhoods” in order to create the world of living elements.

“My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx,” the filmmaker said 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?”

Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream, Disney and Pixar’s Elemental is due for release on June 16, 2023. It is currently unknown whether Elemental will arrive in theaters, or whether it will be another straight to Disney+ release for Pixar.

Next Up from Pixar is the Toy Story Spinoff, Lightyear

Before we enter the wonderful world of Elemental, Pixar will first release the Toy Story spinoff, Lightyear. Starring Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, and Peter Sohn (yes, the same Peter Sohn who will direct Elemental), Lightyear will act as both a Toy Story spinoff and an in-universe movie, as the story revolves around the origin of the fictional Buzz Lightyear, the character who inspired the popular action figure in the Toy Story franchise.

Lightyear follows Buzz as he prepares to embark on his first test flight to explore new galaxies for Star Command. Marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew, Buzz must try to find a way back home through space and time. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda. Buzz might just be the only hope to stop him, and save the galaxy.

Directed by Angus MacLane, Lightyear is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on June 17, 2022.

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