“Elemental” Director Peter Sohn Shares Pixar Origin Story Describing Inspiration Behind New Film

Elemental director Peter Sohn is sharing the latest Pixar Animation Studios Origin Story, sharing the inspiration behind his latest film from the studio.

What’s Happening:

  • Earlier today, Pixar Animation Studios shared a series of illustrations depicting the origin story behind their latest film, Elemental, from the film’s director, Peter Sohn.
  • Through a number of illustrations recreating not only scenes from the film, but also the personal story that Sohn is telling, we learn where his inspiration came from to create the beautiful story of Ember, Wade, and Element City.

  • In the panels we learn that Sohn was inspired by his own experience growing up in New York City with two Korean immigrant parents, who (like Ember’s in the film) opened their own grocery store.
  • He also shares that when he was a kid, he would imagine the periodic table of the elements as a big set of apartment buildings all squished together, wondering what the elements would do together if they all lived in these high rise buildings.
  • Sohn goes on to add that the last piece of inspiration from his story came from his wife, a non-Korean woman, and all the culture clash that came alongside it.
  • Set in Element City, where Fire-, Water-, Earth- and Air-residents live together, Elemental introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.
  • This isn’t the first time director Peter Sohn has shared the personal nature behind the film. The day the film hit theaters, he shared a handwritten note on social media dedicating the film to his parents, and thanking them for building such a supporting foundation for his brother and himself.
  • You can read more about Elemental in our review here, and can still catch the latest film from Pixar Animation Studios in theaters now.

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.