‘Art of Elemental’ drills down on film

In the book “The Art of Elemental,” editors show how the artists separated air, earth, water and fire into separate communities, each with buildings that played into their strengths and weaknesses. A water slide was a no-brainer for the water folks. But fire took some brainstorming.

In the book (which features a foreword from Pete Docter, the Disney/Pixar head, and an introduction by director Peter Sohn), we see how those homesteads look. You can imagine what would contain water but the artists at Disney took a pretty deep dive to understand fire.

The film focuses on a relationship between Ember (fire) and Wade (water). Sohn drew on his parents’ journey from South Korea to the United States and their efforts to mix cultures and provide a better life for their sons.

In the early pages of the book, you see how fire’s world evolves. Cooking pots became ovens; stores drew on variations of the fire theme (The Fireplace, the Kiln, Baked Café); products had similar puns (Lighterfinger candy bars, Frosted Flames cereal, Sooty Snax).

There’s a flip book in the corner of the fire pages that lets you see a paper plane go through Ember’s head and emerge unscathed. The result: “It showed the ethereal quality of her flame and that her core was all flame rather than an object caught on fire,” said Daniel Lopez Munoz, a concept designer.

Sohn provides plenty of background throughout the book but doesn’t skimp on illustrations. Something like a tenement in Firetown shows inside the windows just what’s going on. In Wade’s neck of the “Elemental” woods, there’s a Wetro (for transportation), an Aqueduct Spaghetti Interchange and a variety of vehicles that could transport folks around the community. Mixed together, Element City boasts a luncheonette with “Real Coal BBQ,” a mudpies store, a tree-trimming barber shop and an “all things for all residents” convenience store that handles all residents.

They’re fascinating to peruse, largely because the film doesn’t stop long enough for you to dig in. Here, though, you can even see how the characters morph. Alice Lemma’s look at Fern, a bureaucrat, takes on many earthy looks.

While the characters are quite different from other Pixar creations, they do represent a freedom for the artists. Here, they don’t have to have a specific look (though Wade could work well in “Luca”), this is very much a sea change, an earth-shaker, a spark (sorry).

“The Art of Elemental” introduces artists who haven’t gotten the same showcase in other films. Like a senior project, it demonstrates growth and points to a bright future.

“The Art of Elemental” is available from Chronicle Books.

The Journal’s Top Stories for the Week of June 11, 2023