There’s a good reason why Turning Red.
Pixar stalwart Sohn has been working with the animation giant since Pixar inclusivity, highlighted in both Luca and Turning Red. His involvement and back catalog of Pixar work might suggest Elemental will be a home run, but there are a few reasons why the film might be a big risk for Pixar.
Why Elemental's Crew Might Be A Problem
A film is only ever as good as the crew behind the scenes, and while Sohn has been working with Pixar Animation for a long time, his only directorial credit is The Good Dinosaur. While visually stunning and solidly entertaining, Cars 2, arguably one of the worst Pixar films ever made. As such, the duo returning for Elemental bring with them a very thin track record of director/producer partnerships.
How Elemental Can Still Work, Despite Challenges
The reasons why Elemental can still work are twofold. First off, it’s clear from the trailer that Elemental is set in an entirely different aesthetic world to The Good Dinosaur. It looks emotionally richer, full of unique characters and social interactions. This clearly stems from Sohn’s deep investment in the source material. He said (via focus on emotional beings, similar to Inside Out - should elevate it to the emotional heights audiences expect from Pixar.
Secondly, the creative consultant of Turning Red has been hired as a screenwriter. Elemental will be Brenda Hseuh’s first screenwriting credit and despite this, she could be a novel choice for Sohn’s Elemental. She worked on Turning Red, which was a groundbreaking take on going through puberty and is already writing the script for Sony’s animated Ghostbusters film. She clearly has talent and is a fresh, new voice in the world of animation. The crew behind Elemental might not seem like the obvious choice for a new Pixar classic, but it is the amalgamation of different voices and people that sits at the core of Elemental’s themes.
