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In theory, the Elemental concept is very much in sync with Pixar’s style of storytelling. Directed by Pete Thorne, this film asks the question of what it would be like if elements had feelings and lived in society. At first glance, however, it’s clear that the look and feel of this film isn’t very Pixar-esque. The film revolves around a loveable romance budding between Ember Lumen (voiced by Leah Lewis) and Wade Ripple (Mamudu Athi), essentially beings made of fire and water, respectively. It deals with heavy themes such as discrimination.
A journey into the Element City of Fire, Water, Earth and Air is full of challenges, and the creators have drawn inspiration from everything from Miyazaki’s films to The Godfather II. Sanjay Bakshi, VFX Supervisor at Elemental (“The Good Dinosaur” and “Onward”), revealed the film’s visuals in an exclusive interview with Filmfare.
What is the summary given to you by the director?
I know Pete Thorne. I had worked with him before, so we talked about it early on. He wanted to talk to his parents about their immigrant experiences in the elemental world. He thought this would be a good way to convey what moving to New York City feels like. And his parents immigrated from India to Canada. So I talked about that experience. He wanted to talk about my experience in general to see if it was relatable and universal.
of The visuals are very different from other Pixar movies. What kind of experiments did you want to do with this?
Thank you for saying that. Because it was our intention to give it a unique look. The goal was to strike a balance between realism and stylization. But Pete’s (Thorn) style didn’t have to look like cartoons or graphics for his novels, it had to be a computer medium for his graphics. Ember’s face is contoured, but you can tell it’s dynamic, moving, and light. You can also see that Wade’s face has lines in the silhouette. If I were to draw it, it would be a pencil drawing. But for Wade, it’s the meniscus that happens underwater. It would be nice if it was unique because it moves in response to light. It is created on a computer using computer graphics rather than trying to look like something different or hand drawn.
How different are the elements from the first visual?
Interesting question. The early version of Wade is quite different from the one in the movie. I spent a lot of time making the characters watery. I put a lot of effort into his face as well. As his mouth changes shape, ripples flow from it, picking up subtle bubbles in his head. But when it came to animation, we could see it in performance. So I had to put everything back together. That’s what we had to leave on the cutting room floor. We undo some of the techniques we developed to make Wade feel watery, leaving other parts of his body intact. So he still feels watery, but he got the subtle acting he needed.
What was the key to achieving Ember’s fiery look and not being scary?
One of the things we did to style her was run something called a pyro-sim to simulate heat. Fire is so distracting and truly mesmerizing. Fire is always changing and so interesting that people can stare at it for hours. But having it on Ember’s head would be a distraction. I still wanted it to be dynamic. So she sorted out the flames using neural her style transfers. It’s still a simulation, but I’m going to put it together in the shape someone drew. So it simplifies them. That was her one of the keys to unlocking her Ember style.
What were some of the movies you referenced?
There were many. Pete loves movies, he really loves movies. There was Hayao Miyazaki – Calcifer is the character we focused on. He’s so funny, 2D, and cartoonish. These are the fun things we wanted for our fire character, to be shapeshifting but more realistic. I also saw a movie about immigration. The Godfather: His Part II has a beautiful dialogue-free sequence that sees patriarch Vito Corleone emigrate to Italy, transit through Ellis Island, and go through the stages. Unfortunately, there are not many Bollywood movies.
The music certainly sounded like Indian instruments…
Yes, some Indian movies used to be used as reference, but now it’s not possible to pinpoint exactly which country they’re from, so they’re gradually making it more universal. proceeded. This will make it easier for you to empathize.
How much has Pixar’s animation changed over the years?
I think it has evolved a lot. This movie was definitely the most challenging for me on a technical level. The industry is constantly changing. I like the idea that a lot of movies move away from realism a bit and towards stylization. It’s a trend that I really enjoy. The Spider-Verse movies really feel that way. With Elemental, our goal was to create an imaginative world without overwhelming the audience by being colorful and bold. I hope that continues as a trend for anime movies.
Elemental will be released on June 23, 2023.
