Pixar is repeating one of it's best tricks with the film Inside Out which ultimately won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and grossed over $850 million dollars. The film followed 11-year-old Riley as she adjusted to her parent's relocation and subsequent move to San Francisco. While it might sound like a typical coming of age film, what made Inside Out different was that much of the story took place within Riley's mind making the main characters her emotions. Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear were personified, and it added depth to the film in a way that hadn't been seen before.
Elemental seems to be repeating this trick to an extent. The Elemental teaser trailer seems to take place in a hidden world or a fantasy world where various elements live. Throughout the trailer, various elements are seen such as clouds, rocks, and water before the reveal of Ember. Ember is the living embodiment of fire and at the end of the trailer she seems to share a spark with another element, Wade. The obvious problem though is that Wade is the living embodiment of another element that doesn't mix well with fire as he is made of water.
Inside Out Is Vital To Pixar's Future
At the Turning Red quickly were forgotten despite their positive messages and unique stories. Films released directly to Disney+ were not able to gain the recognition that films at the theaters do either, contributing to the seeming lack of high performing Pixar films the past couple of years.
Inside Out has been praised for years since it's release as it taught children (and adults) about mental health and that sadness is actually an important emotion. Pixar hasn't had a box office success since prior to the pandemic, so Inside Out 2 will hopefully provide the studio with something of a reboot as fans of the original will likely be excited to see the new film.
Elemental Is What Pixar Needed After Lightyear
While Inside Out didn't need a sequel as the story was self-contained and wrapped itself up nicely, Pixar needed a chance to redeem itself. Following Lightyear, which turned out to be a box-office bomb, Pixar needs to regain its footing as one of the lead storytellers in the animated world. By releasing a story like Elemental that appears fresh and unique but drawing on the same premise Inside Out did, hopefully the studio will be able to strike the perfect balance of heartfelt storytelling with playful characters once again.
