Mixing the elements

New Pixar film explores the challenges and triumphs of the immigrant experience in a multicultural society, Xu Fan reports.

There is a household proverb in China which says: "Water and fire could never tolerate each other".However, Elemental, the latest Disney and Pixar animated film, makes it possible.

Premiered as the closing film of the 76th Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, the tale was released simultaneously in China and North America on June 16.

Blending bold imagination with universal themes like family connection and parenting, the 102-minute movie fictionalizes a fantastic metropolis where four "races" — with each representing one of the four natural elements: fire, water, air and earth — live together.

Due to their differing characteristics, the daily lives of the residents are always filled with unpredictable and fun-filled events. For instance, if the Fire members get exposed to rain, their flame-like hair might be extinguished, but they can quickly reignite themselves and regrow their hair.

Ember Lumen, a 20-something member of the Fire "race", lives with her immigrant parents and helps run their grocery store. However, trouble ensues when she loses her temper one day and accidentally causes a fire in the basement, which leads to a burst water pipe. As a result of the accident, Lumen meets Wade Ripple, a health inspector from the Water "race "who is unexpectedly sucked into the pipe. Despite their supposed inability to touch and hug each other, a romantic spark is ignited between the two.

The movie's Chinese version, which has pop idol Wang Yuan sing the end credit song, casts actress Song Zu'er and actor Zhang Xincheng to voice for the two protagonists.

During an interview with China Daily, director Peter Sohn says that his original idea for the story started seven years ago when he drew a little doodle and became fascinated with the concept of how fire and water could be connected.

After pitching his idea to decision-makers and fellow animators at Pixar Animation Studios, the veteran director, who has been working there since 2000, recalls that they were intrigued by his pitch but did not entirely understand the concept of the story.

Throughout years of character and plot development, the movie gathered input from more than 100 first- and second-generation immigrants working at Pixar. They shared their personal experiences, which injected the story with a depth that explores how people from different cultures handle their differences, and sometimes, frictions.

Cultural metaphors are prevalent throughout the movie. Lumen's parents, also immigrants from a remote city belonging to the Fire "race", take a ship voyage to begin a new life in Elemental City. Despite growing up in a culturally diverse environment, Lumen is asked to make a promise to marry a fellow Fire member before her grandmother passes away.

This scene is inspired by the real-life experiences of the director. Sohn's parents emigrated from South Korea to the United States in the 1970s and held a family belief that Sohn, who was born and raised in New York, should marry a woman of Korean descent.

"It was crazy when I was in high school. When my grandmother was passing away, we were all around her. She suddenly said in Korean: 'Marry a Korean!' And then she passed away. It created a lot of pressure for me growing up, especially when I fell in love with someone who wasn't Korean," recalls the director, whose wife is an Italian-American.

As Sohn has transferred his youthful memories into inspiration for the movie, he has also faced many challenges in visualizing the Elemental City — a work of fantasy that requires everything to be built from scratch.

With inspirations from canal cities like Venice and Amsterdam, the movie assembled a team of over 50 special effects artists. They were divided into two teams, with one group responsible for creating big action scenes, such as explosions or floods, and the other group in charge of bringing the characters to life.

"Every piece of fantasy starts from something real, and this was our biggest challenge. We built brick by brick a city which I would call an immaculate reality," says Sohn.

Beyond its stunning visuals, the film explores a timeless and relatable theme: the conflict between following one's dreams and fulfilling one's parental obligations. Despite her father's wishes for her to take over the family grocery store after he retires, Ember Lumen, who has a natural talent for art, yearns to explore the world beyond.

Sohn says that Ripple, the Water man, growing up in a vastly different environment that allows him to pursue his dreams, creates a contrast that helps the audiences connect with the female protagonist's struggles and encourages them to reflect on their own pursuits.

For the veteran filmmaker, who has worked in Pixar for more than two decades, the most valuable thing is that the artists could share their ideas in a safe environment.

"When you pitch your ideas or tell a story, having supportive yet critical people around you can be invaluable, regardless of whether the idea is good or bad," he explains.