Peter Sohn Reflects Back on ‘Elemental’s Unlikely Success
There was a time when it looked like Peter Sohn’s Elemental would be another Pixar box-office bomb.
After receiving tepid reviews from critics, the film had a disastrous opening weekend. Released on June 16, 2023, Elemental managed a measly 29.5 million domestically and $44.5 million globally during its debut.
Then, something magical happened. Those who did see Elemental on its opening weekend loved the film, and the film found its audience. Buoyed by this word of mouth and the continued support of Disney, Elemental became a sleeper hit for Pixar, eventually grossing $496.4 million.
A Personal Story
For Sohn, the film was personal.
“When I first pitched, it was seven years ago,” says Sohn. “It was just this anecdote about going to this venue where I got to thank my parents in front of a large crowd, and it was a very emotional moment for me… Getting to this point with the kind of recognition, I just think of my parents looking down and hoping that they’re proud.”
Not only was Elemental a box-office triumph for Pixar and Sohn, but the film was also a massive success on streaming. Then came the news last week that he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
“I think about all the work and passion and love that they put into the film, and it fills me up in a way that is very emotional,” Sohn reflects.
An Innovative Film
In addition to Sohn’s story, the creation of Elemental required innovations in animation to bring the characters to life.
“It was a really amazing process to build a road where there wasn’t one here at Pixar, to make characters that were all effects. Creating characters like fire and water where they didn’t have any skin or a skeleton to hold them up… Some of my favorite parts of this journey was seeing them come to life through a collaboration of hundreds of really amazing artists.”
Looking back on the film’s production, Sohn can’t help but think of the moment when COVID restrictions were lifted enough to allow the film’s team to sit in a theater together.
“In the darkness of that theater, it was the first time the artist put up Ember, our main fire woman,” he says. “Seeing her flames going and blinking for the first time, and really coming to life brought the magic of what’s so amazing about animation. She came from nothing and these artists had put her up on the big screen and it was a pretty momentous moment.”
Elemental is streaming now on Disney+.
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