The newest Pixar movie, Elemental, is hitting theaters everywhere tomorrow and it stars Mamoudou Athie and Leah Lewis as Wade and Ember, two very different people who spark an unlikely romance in the unique Element City. ComicBook.com recently got the chance to chat with the duo, who spoke about the fun challenges of joining Pixar. We also asked them about any unsung heroes of the production, and they gave some lovely shoutouts to the many people who helped make the movie possible. We also spoke with director Peter Sohn and producer Denise Ream and they also praised many of the people who worked on the film.
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“I think Steve Schaffer, our editor and their team, Ben Morris and Claire,” Sohn shared. “That edit team,” Ream chimed in. Sohn explained, “Look, this took seven years, and that team has been holding the fort for that long cutting. And the way these things get made are, it’s very, very violent. You’re building something, you’re destroying it, setting it on fire, then rebuilding it again. And that team did it all throughout with us the whole time. My heart, forever grateful.”
Ream added, “I’m going to throw out our sets department, too. They had a big hill to climb … And so big heart, big love to our sets team.”
When we asked Athie and Lews the same question about unsung heroes, they sweetly called out Ream.
“There’s so many people: all the animators, the executives, the producers. We’ve spoken about Denise Ream ad nauseam, but she’s a remarkable person. The tenderness, just the lead in the way that she does. Denise Ream is a national treasure. I love her so much,” Athie shared. “National treasure, that’s a good word for it,” Lewis added.
“The animators as well, the writers, everybody involved. It’s hard to, because we haven’t met every single one of them, so you can’t listen by name, but you see the movie. You see it’s another level of technology and then creativity that’s… Go on,” Athie added.
Leah explained. “No, but he’s telling it all, because I think what a lot of people don’t realize is how many people go into making a film like this. Mamoudou and I took a trip to Pixar a couple weeks ago. Could have been two months ago, don’t remember. We actually got to meet some of the animators and see the different people that were assigned different scenes of the movie. It wasn’t even like, okay, one person was doing this part of the movie. It was like, no, this was my scene. This was my part. He showed us a little video of Wade and they had this avatar on the side, and he would click the mouse and make the hand move. Then we’d see Wade’s hand move. I was just like, what is that? There was just so much that I think even him and I are still learning.”
Athie concluded, “I don’t get it. It’s beyond my capacity … It’s incredible. I don’t understand how they do it.”
What Is Elemental About?
Elemental is an all-new original feature film that transports moviegoers to Element City, a place where a host of elements live and work. The trailer showcases each element—air, earth, water, and fire—and what sets them apart according to Ember (Leah Lewis), a quick-witted and fiery woman who’s always stayed close to home in Firetown. In Elemental, she finally ventures out of her comfort zone to explore this spectacular world born from the imaginations of Pixar’s filmmakers and specifically crafted for the big-screen experience. Element City is inspired by big cities around the globe and embraces theorized contributions from each elemental community—from giant pine-tree-like buildings and waterfall skyscrapers to a tornado-shaped arena called Cyclone Stadium. The film also stars Mamoudou Athie as Wade, the watery and lovable man who helps Ember get out of her comfort zone.
Elemental opens in theaters on June 16th.
