The latest animated film from the folks at Disney and Pixar takes us to Element City, a world populated by elements that have come to life -- Air, Land, Water and Fire.
There’s just one rule: Elements can’t mix.
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“Elemental,” now playing, tells the story of two opposites who attract, set against this unique background.
Fiery and headstrong “Ember” and easy-going liquidy Wade challenge their society’s single rule when they cross paths.
Wade is voiced by Mamoudou Athie, who you may remember from the movie “Jurassic World Dominion.” While Ember’s voice comes courtesy of Leah Lewis, who you might know from the TV series “Nancy Drew.”
The actress went through a brutal audition process.
“I had two auditions on Zoom and then they brought me in. And I didn’t think they were going to bring me in because I couldn’t cry in one of the scenes over Zoom, and I was like, ‘Oh crap, I really botched it.’ But they brought me in for six hours and I was just like, I had never experienced anything like that,” Lewis said. “But at the end, they were casually just like, ‘Oh, we’d like to offer you the role of Ember Lumen,’ and I was like -- even though I had just done this six-hour audition and thought that I had killed it -- like, ‘What? Are you serious?!’”
Her co-star found the entire voicing experience eye-opening.
“It was shockingly exhausting,” Athie said. “I didn’t know that four to five hours in a booth could be so draining, in the most exhilarating way. You’re putting every bit of yourself into the performance because you’re creating a lot of images in your mind. You’re doing take after take, and we’re going for it every time. And by the end of it, I felt like I needed to take a nap, but it was a great feeling.”
Disney and Pixar are rolling out a wide range of promotional tie-ins, from McDonald’s Happy Meals to assorted toys and action figures.
Lewis said it’s been interesting getting used to the idea of playing a character that’s also on merchandise.
“It’s crazy because when you’re in the booth as a voice actor, you’re just trying to focus on the job and staying present,” Lewis said. “And then forget about this whole other chapter where you’re a plushie toy and you’re on a T-shirt, and then you push a button and it’s like, ‘Hi, I’m Ember.’ It’s unreal to me because I used to buy this stuff as a kid. It’s been crazy in a good way, too.”
“Elemental” is rated PG and runs 1 hour, 42 minutes. For now, it’s only available in theaters but is scheduled to release on Disney+ later this summer.