Pixar's Elemental director on Avatar comparisons: 'We're so different from it'
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Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, after making The Good Dinosaur in 2015, Pixar filmmaker Peter Sohn set out to helm a movie with elements of family and romance weaved into the story. Avatar: The Last Airbender never influenced that vision, despite their shared concept of personifying the four core natural elements.
Still, Avatar fans on social media have gravitated towards Elemental, Sohn's new animated movie, ever since the first pieces of artwork revealed a city in which beings made of water, earth, fire, and air all live together.
"No, it wasn't a touchstone, but I love the show," Sohn tells EW of Avatar in an interview around Elemental's first teaser-trailer reveal. "I saw it with my kids and it's great, but we're so different from it. There's no martial arts in our world. There's not anything like that. It's this city story with the romance, and this family drama. But I do appreciate the connection that people are making just 'cause they love that and hopefully they can love this, too."
Disney/Pixar; Everett Collection Pixar's 'Elemental' was not inspired by 'Avatar: The Last Airbender,' despite comparisons fans have made online.
The teaser trailer highlights a subway train in Element City and all the kooky characters in its seats. Ember, voiced by Leah Lewis (The Half of It), is a fire resident. She plops headphones over her ears as she begins her commute. Viewers see all sorts of water, earth, and air residents starting their days until Ember drops her headset and meets Wade, a water person voiced by Mamoudou Athie (Jurassic World Dominion).
"This teaser has been all about trying to set up the world," says Sohn. "It's a world of elements. What elements? Earth, water, air. Those are the ones you meet, and then, finally, fire being one of the last communities that come to this city."
Elemental, which Disney and Pixar have largely kept under wraps, is heavily influenced by Sohn's parents, Korean immigrants who settled in New York, where Sohn was born. The first pieces of concept art Sohn sketched for it showcased a group of fire people on a boat in the middle of the ocean. It begged the question: How do they survive?
"Growing up, I always saw my parents a certain way, but then when I hit my 20s and got a real job versus working at my family shop, I saw them as people," Sohn explains. "That shift from parents to people affected me a great deal. All the stories they told me of their journey here I took for granted until I was like, 'Oh my God, they did this without speaking the language. They did this with no money. My dad was a hotdog cart guy and he made all this. I could never do that.' My empathy grew for them."
That immigrant story, however, wasn't the starting point for Elemental. It began with the premise, what if fire fell in love with water?
The teaser ends with a water droplet from Wade landing on Ember's fiery hand, stinging her as they both reach for the dropped headphones. Sohn notes how parts of the film will dive deeper into themes of identity, belonging, and "what assimilation or a melting pot might be," but he wanted it to have a "really hopeful, fun vibe."
Elemental has only become more poignant for Sohn. He lost both his parents during the years he spent working on the film. "I'm still going through this journey of, what am I appreciating and how do I honor them?" he says.
Elemental is scheduled to hit theaters June 16, 2023.
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