Pixar’s Elemental Collectible Steelbook Revealed Celebrating Its Central Romance (EXCLUSIVE)-TGN

Summary

• Pixar’s latest adventure Elemental is getting a special Steelbook edition exclusive to Best Buy, featuring bonus features and behind-the-scenes looks.

• The movie centers on the romance between fire element Ember and water element Wade as they navigate their society’s prejudices.

• Despite initial struggles at the box office, Elemental had a successful run and is a promising sign for Pixar’s original projects.

Pixar’s latest adventure Elemental is coming home in an exciting new Best Buy Steelbook celebrating the movie’s central romance. Helmed by Pixar vet Peter Sohn and based on a story idea he pitched to the iconic animation studio, the movie is set in a world populated by anthropomorphic elements of nature and centers on fire element Ember and water element Wade as they fall in love and attempt to overcome the differences in their society, including her bigoted father. Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie lead the Elemental cast alongside Ronnie del Carmen, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Catherine O’Hara.

Nearly two months after the movie first hit theaters, Screen Rant is proud to exclusively reveal the collectible Elemental Steelbook. The special version of the movie, which hits Best Buy shelves on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 26, will feature a whole host of bonus features, including the Up short movie, Carl’s Date, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes looks at the development of the Pixar rom-com. Check out the special features and exclusive first look at the Elemental Steelbook cover art below:

Elemental Steelbook & Bonus Features

Short Film

• Carl’s Date – Written and directed by Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® Award winner Bob Peterson and produced by Kim Collins, this all-new short, “Carl’s Date,” finds Carl reluctantly agreeing to go on a date with a lady friend —but admittedly with no idea how dating works these days. Ever the helpful friend, Dug steps in to calm Carl’s pre-date jitters and offer some tried-and-true tips for making friends — if you’re a dog. “Carl’s Date” opened in theaters in front of Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental.”

Featurettes

• Ember and Wade – Take a deeper look at the development of main characters Ember and Wade, from early designs to final effects, and learn how the complex work of the technical and character teams brought these characters to life.

• Next Stop: Element City – Explore how Element City is built to accommodate its different inhabitants. Director Peter Sohn and crew members share insights about the evolution of the designed world, as well as some of the research that inspired its unique look.

• Paths to Pixar: The Immigrant Experience – Hear from first-generation filmmakers on the Elemental crew as they share their journeys to Pixar. Discover how Elemental’s real-world themes of sacrifice and identity, amongst many others, reflect or diverge from their own lived experiences.

Deleted Scenes

Director Peter Sohn introduces five scenes that are all illustrated, set to music, timed, and voiced, but are not included in the final version of Elemental.

• Intro Ember – An alternate opening in which our hero Ember helps a newly immigrated Fire family navigate through, and acclimate to, Element City. Scene introduced by director Peter Sohn.

• Mom Rejects Wade – Ember’s traditional parents learn that she’s enamored with watery Wade…and it doesn’t go well. Scene introduced by story supervisor Jason Katz.

• Dante Challenge – In an attempt to keep Ember apart from Wade, Bernie tasks her with finding a place to live for newcomer Dante, who Wade finds himself rather enamored with. Scene introduced by story artist Nira Liu.

• Brook Dinner – Ember joins Wade for dinner at his home, in this abandoned storyline in which Wade’s mother, Brook, is revealed to be the villain diverting water into Firetown. Scene introduced by story artist Anna Benedict.

• Beach Proposal – Sharing a tender moment on the beach, Ember and Wade propose marriage to each other. Scene introduced by story artists Yung-Han Chang and Le Tang.

Audio Commentary

• Elementary Filmmaker Commentary – Join director Peter Sohn, supe tech Sanjay Bakshi, supervising animator Mike Venturini, and directing animator Gwendelyn Enderoglu as they provide insight into the making of this remarkable animated feature while you watch it.

*bonus features vary by product and retailer

How Elemental Was Important For Pixar’s Future

Leading up to its release, Elemental had a lot riding on its shoulders for Pixar’s future as a studio. The once-powerhouse studio had been struggling to make a proper comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic, with such titles as Soul and Turning Red garnering widespread acclaim, though the latter was criticized by animators within the studio for forgoing a theatrical release in favor of a Disney+ exclusive release. This direct-to-streaming release was contributed to be one of the factors behind Pixar’s subsequent release, Lightyear, failing at the box office, along with confusion over its ties with Toy Story and Chris Evans recasting.

Related: Why Lightyear Failed For Pixar – What Went Wrong

Elemental did show some struggles at the start of its run, garnering Pixar’s second-lowest three-day opening weekend at the box office behind the original Toy Story. A variety of factors were attributed to this sluggish start, including its lackluster marketing, a string of Disney+ releases, and competition from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Flash, the latter of which has become one of the biggest box office bombs in history. But despite all that, Elemental ultimately bounced back to enjoy a modest box office run, only dropping 38 percent in its second weekend and ultimately grossing just shy of $400 million worldwide against its $200 million production budget.

Though the majority of Pixar’s future is aimed towards continuations of their hit IPs, including Toy Story 5 and Inside Out 2, the rom-com’s turnaround does prove a promising sign for the studio’s original projects, namely 2024’s alien abduction comedy adventure Elio, and maintain hopes they will continue to branch their filmmaking past a focus on franchises.

This special Elemental Steelbook edition will be available at any Best Buy on September 26, along with the regular 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD versions.