Watch: Elemental full trailer

Pixar is back. The animation studio behind Toy Story and Monsters Inc. is set to take fans on another emotional adventure with new film Elemental.

The movie tells the story of two elements, water and fire, who form an unlikely connection despite not being able to touch each other.

Here's everything we know about Elemental so far.

Elemental release date

Elemental will be released in UK cinemas on 7 July, after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on 27 May. It will later be available to stream on Disney+.

It will be Pixar's first original film to receive a big-screen release since road-trip adventure Onward, which landed in March 2020. The COVID pandemic meant the studio's next three movies, Soul, Luca and Turning Red, all skipped cinemas and instead debuted on Disney+.

Read more: 22 Disney and Pixar in-jokes that will blow your mind

Last summer's Toy Story spin-off Lightyear received a theatrical release but flopped at the box office, meaning the stakes are high for Elemental.

Elemental plot and trailer

The film is a high-concept romantic comedy set in Element City, where beings made of earth, fire, air and water all live together.

The two main characters are Wade Ripple, a "fun, sappy" water element, and a "tough, quick-witted" fire element called Ember Lumen. An unlikely romance blossoms between them, which takes Ember out of her comfort zone and challenges her beliefs about the world she lives in.

Eagle-eyed Pixar fans will have seen Wade before. He made a very brief cameo in Lightyear, as the mascot for a drink brand called Wade Water.

Pixar released a 90-second teaser for Elemental last November, introducing viewers to the magical world of Element City and its residents. The full-length trailer landed in March, showcasing each element in more detail; watch it at the top of this article.

Elemental cast and crew

Wade is voiced by Jurassic World Dominion star Mamoudou Athie, while Ember is played by Leah Lewis, who appeared in Netflix's coming-of-age film The Half of It.

Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs) plays Wade's boss Gale – an air element – and child star Mason Wertheimer lends his voice to Clod, a street-smart earth element.

Home Alone and Schitt's Creek star Catherine O'Hara plays Wade's mum Brook, and Ember's parents are voiced by Shila Ommi and Inside Out co-director Ronnie del Carmen.

The Elemental voice cast also includes comedian Joe Pera (F is for Family), who plays city bureaucrat Fern.

The film was directed by Peter Sohn, who previously headed up Pixar's 2015 release The Good Dinosaur.

Despite its unusual concept, Elemental draws heavily from Sohn's own life. Its themes of identity and belonging were inspired by his upbringing as the son of Korean immigrants in New York.

"This movie is about thanking your parents and understanding their sacrifices," he told The Hollywood Reporter last year. "My parents both passed away during the making of this thing. And so, it is hugely emotional, and I'm still processing a lot of it."

Wade and Ember's love story was inspired by the "culture clash" Sohn experienced when he met his wife.

The script was penned by John Hoberg and Kat Likkel (My Name is Earl) and Brenda Hsueh (How I Met Your Mother), all of whom created the story with Sohn. The film's score was composed and conducted by Thomas Newman, who worked on two of Pixar's most beloved films, WALL•E and Finding Nemo.

Pixar's Elemental will be released on 7 July