Everything We Know About Elemental, Pixar's Love Story Between Fire And Water

The wonderful folks at Pixar Animation are ready to unleash their 27th feature with the imaginative "Elemental." Drawing inspiration from director Peter Sohn's youth growing up as a second-generation immigrant in New York City, the film is a celebration of cultural and ethnic diversity, wrapped in a heartwarming romantic comedy. The story is said to be inspired by films like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "Moonstruck," and "Amélie," but is presented in a way that appeals to audiences of all ages.

"Elemental" is also one of Pixar's most ambitious films to date, with producer Denise Ream telling Total Film Magazine, "We knew it was going to be hard. We didn't know it was going to be as hard as it was." As all of the characters are different elements, they all move in entirely different ways. Considering the film showcases an entire city of different elemental folk interacting with one another, the film pushed Pixar to its creative and technical limits.

With the film just a few months away, here's everything you need to know about "Elemental" before it arrives in theaters.

"Elemental" is another take on the Shakespearean star-crossed lovers' story, but because it's from Pixar, there's obviously going to be a lot of heart and probably some moments that will have us reaching for a box of Kleenex. The film is set in Element City, a place where fire, water, land, and air residents all live together in harmony, as long as the elements don't mix. No, this is not the opening narration of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," I swear.

The film centers on Ember, a feisty and fiery young woman from Firetown who befriends a "go-with-the-flow" water guy named Wade, and starts to question whether or not keeping the elements segregated is such a good idea. We've talked in depth on /Film about how the core of "Elemental" is not just a romantic comedy, but also a deeply personal tale about immigrants. The different areas of Element City were inspired by major metropolises across the globe, to highlight the beauty and wonderment found in different cultures, but without making the elements avatars (no pun intended) for any specific race or culture. But Ember and Wade are the heart of this story, and it's only a matter of time before we see if their love will truly conquer all, or if their differences have doomed them to stay apart.

Pixar really brought in an impressive roster for "Elemental," boasting a phenomenal creative team of animation's finest. The film is directed by Peter Sohn, who directed the Pixar short "Partly Cloudy" and the feature film "The Good Dinosaur." Sohn has also lent his voice to a number of beloved animated characters, like Emile in "Ratatouille," Squishy in "Monsters University," and most recently, Sox in "Lightyear." The film was written by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, and Brenda Hsueh.

"Elemental" is produced by Denise Ream ("The Good Dinosaur," "Cars 2") and executive produced by Pete Docter (director of "Up," "Inside Out," and "Soul"). The film will feature music by Thomas Newman, who has also scored beloved films like "WALL-E," "Finding Dory," as well as James Bond films "Skyfall" and "Spectre." Honestly, his musical resume is ridiculously impressive, but he's part of the musical Newman family dynasty (the same as composer Randy Newman) who are the most-nominated extended family at the Academy Awards with a whopping 95 nominations, all for music.