It’s time to return to Element City, as the latest film from Disney and Pixar,Elemental, arrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 26. The animated film, which hit theaters back in June, takes audiences to Element City, where beings made of each of the four elements coexist (mostly) in harmony, and followsfire element Ember (Leah Lewis) and water element Wade (Mamoudou Athie), as they embark on an adventure and fall in love. With Ember and Wade’s romance as one of the sweeter emotional cores of the story, it’s no wonder this element — no pun intended — is played up in the marketing, and Collider is excited to exclusively reveal the Walmart box art for the physical release, which shows the pair getting cozy.
Of course the story is fueled not just by Ember and Wade’s romantic connection, but also by their friendship that helps each of them see life in Element City in a whole new way. DirectorPeter Sohnpreviously spoke to Collider’sSteve Weintraubabout the film, and how the story’s central antagonist is simply life itself, saying the addition of an external villain distracted from Ember and Wade’s dynamic. As Sohn put it:
“It was about coming back to the original intent about connection and what could happen between fire and water. So then that version went away, and then we just focused on what does it mean and how to exploit a relationship between fire and water like that?”
For those interested in diving even deeper intoElemental, the upcoming physical release of the film will come loaded with bonus features, including three featurettes — “Ember and Wade,” “Next Stop: Element City,” and “Paths to Pixar: The Immigrant Experience.” There will also be five deleted scenes, some of which feature sweet,romantic moments between Ember and Wade. Finally, the physical release also includes the short film “Carl’s Date,” starring Carl and Dug fromUp.
A Romantic Sleeper Hit
Despite stumbling in its opening weekend with only $29 million at the box office, fantastic word of mouth drew audiences toElementalin the weeks following its release, leading the romantic comedy to eventuallycross major box office milestonesand become something of a surprise hit. Whether audiences were drawn in by the relatable immigrant-parent story,the first Disney romance in quite some time, or generally the beautiful imagery and compelling story,Elementalshowed that there is still very much a market for original animated stories.
Elementalarrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 26. Check out the Walmart-exclusive box art below:
