Unveiling Pixar's Enchanting Steelbook: A Captivating Tribute to True Love [Exclusive]

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 storyline of the movie revolves around Ember, a fire element, and Wade, a water element, as they confront the biases prevalent in their society, all while experiencing a blossoming romance.

Despite facing initial challenges in terms of ticket sales, Elemental ultimately had a triumphant run, signaling a hopeful future for Pixar's ventures into original content.

Pixar's latest adventure, Elemental, is coming home in an exciting new Best Buy Steelbook that celebrates the movie's central romance. Directed by Pixar veteran Peter Sohn and based on his original story idea, the film takes place in a world where nature's elements come to life as anthropomorphic characters. The story revolves around Ember, the fire element, and Wade, the water element, as they navigate their love and confront the societal challenges they face, including Ember's prejudiced father. The Elemental cast is led by Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie, with supporting roles played by Ronnie del Carmen, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Catherine O'Hara.

After its theatrical release nearly two months ago, Screen Rant is proud to exclusively reveal the collectible Elemental Steelbook. This special edition of the film, available in 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD formats at Best Buy starting September 26, includes an array of bonus features. Viewers can enjoy the Up short film, Carl's Date, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes footage that explores the development of this Pixar romantic comedy. Take a look at the exciting special features and get an exclusive sneak peek at the captivating Elemental Steelbook cover art below:

Elemental Steelbook & Bonus Features

"Carl's Date," a new short film written and directed by Bob Peterson, an Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® Award winner. Produced by Kim Collins, the story follows Carl as he reluctantly agrees to go on a date with a lady friend but struggles to understand modern dating. Fortunately, his loyal friend Dug steps in to ease his pre-date nerves and share some dog-approved tips on making friends. The short film, "Carl's Date," debuted in theaters as a preview before Disney and Pixar's film, "Elemental."

Explore the fascinating journey of Ember and Wade, the central characters, as we delve into their evolution from initial concepts to the finished product. Discover the intricate craftsmanship of our talented technical and character teams that breathed life into these compelling personas.

Upcoming Destination: Element City - Experience the construction of Element City and its tailored environment for its diverse residents. Director Peter Sohn and team members discuss the development of the imaginative world and the research that influenced its distinctive aesthetic.

Routes to Pixar: The Journey of Immigrants - Gain insights from first-generation filmmakers within the Elemental crew as they recount their paths to Pixar. Explore how Elemental's themes of sacrifice and identity, among others, align or differ from their personal lived experiences.

Deleted Scenes

Director Peter Sohn presents five additional scenes in Elemental, each featuring illustrations, music, timing, and voiceovers. However, these scenes did not make it into the final version of the film.

One of the scenes, titled "Intro Ember," portrays our protagonist Ember assisting a recently immigrated Fire family in navigating and adjusting to Element City. Director Peter Sohn introduces this scene.

Mom’s Disapproval – Ember’s conservative parents discover her affection for Wade, a water enthusiast, and their reaction is far from positive. The scene is set up by Jason Katz, the story supervisor.

Dante's Test – To ensure Ember stays away from Wade, Bernie assigns her the responsibility of searching for a new home for Dante, a newcomer who Wade has taken a liking to. Nira Liu, the story artist, introduces the scene.

Brook Dinner – Ember joins Wade for dinner at his home, uncovering an abandoned storyline where Wade's mother, Brook, is exposed as the mastermind behind diverting water into Firetown. Scene introduced by Anna Benedict, the story artist.

Beach Proposal – In an intimate moment on the beach, Ember and Wade exchange marriage proposals. Scene introduced by Yung-Han Chang and Le Tang, the story artists.

Audio Commentary

Experience the Elementary Filmmaker Commentary as you delve into the behind-the-scenes of this incredible animated feature. Join director Peter Sohn, supertech expert Sanjay Bakshi, supervising animator Mike Venturini, and directing animator Gwendelyn Enderoglu as they offer valuable insights during your viewing.

*bonus features vary by product and retailer

How Elemental Was Important For Pixar's Future

Pixar's future as a studio hinged on the success of Elemental, creating immense pressure for the once-powerhouse studio. Despite the acclaim received by movies like Soul and Turning Red, animators within the studio criticized the decision to release the latter exclusively on Disney+. This move, combined with confusion surrounding Lightyear's connection to Toy Story and Chris Evans' recasting, contributed to its failure at the box office.

Elemental faced initial struggles during its release, with a disappointing opening weekend at the box office, second only to the original Toy Story in Pixar's history. This slow start was attributed to various factors, such as lackluster marketing, the release of multiple Disney+ projects, and tough competition from films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Flash, the latter of which turned out to be a major box office failure. However, despite these challenges, Elemental managed to recover and have a decent performance, experiencing only a 38 percent drop in its second weekend and ultimately earning nearly $400 million worldwide, considering its $200 million production budget.

Although Pixar's future mainly revolves around the continuation of their successful franchises, like Toy Story 5 and Inside Out 2, the success of Elemental gives hope for the studio's original projects. This includes a comedy adventure titled Elio, which is set to explore the concept of alien abduction and is scheduled for release in 2024. The positive outcome of Elemental encourages the belief that Pixar will continue to venture beyond franchises and invest in diverse filmmaking endeavors.

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.