Pixar's Elemental Features So Many Fiery Snacks, Drinks & Assorted In-Universe Products
When it comes to world-building in cinema, one of the things I love to see is how a new, imagined environment translates elements of the real world into a fictional one. Pixar Animation is one of the best in the biz when it comes to this aspect of storytelling, and their upcoming film "Elemental" (which has tickets available for sale now) is no exception.
"Elemental" follows the blossoming romance between Ember, a girl made of fire, and Wade, a guy made of water, in the hustle and bustle of the visually stunning world of Element City. The story focuses on the complications of two people who are not only from wildly different cultural backgrounds, but whose existential foundations are literally elementally opposed to each other. You can get a glimpse at the charming story in the most recently released trailer right here.
Because the elements of fire, water, air, and earth all have their own lifestyles, there are a variety of sights that lean into their nature. Since our story is focused on Ember and her immigrant family as they make a life for themselves in Element City, the fire people are the ones we get a glimpse into the most, and that includes their food, drinks, and everyday household items. In typical Pixar fashion, the animation studio brainstormed a clever spin on everything from chips to cereal to cleaning products and imagined what they might be like if they were created for people who were made of fire, and the results are fun and clever.
One character detail that hasn't been revealed in the marketing, which was shown in a series of clips that Pixar played for press at a special press event back in March, is that fire people can rekindle the flame in their bodies by eating wood. The wood acts as their sustenance, and it also heals them if something like water has extinguished part of their flame. So there are plenty of wood-based foods for their consumption, not to mention other fire-based products with plenty of puns.
Let's take a look at some of the items that you might spot in Ember's family's convenience store, The Fireplace.
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Look around and you'll see there are foods like Fire Crackers, with the box modeled after the Ritz Crackers box and graphics. You'll also spot cereal like Smoke Puffs and Shredded Wood, not to mention BBQ Stix, Sizzling Bark, and FalaFuel Mix. You can also see that there's a platter with a big log that appears to substitute for a roast beef, as well as tree trunk circles that look like burger patties on a grill.
It's not just food that's on display, as you'll also notice a medicine called Methanol, which is actually a fever enhancer. There's also Scorchguard, which as an H20 shield, almost like an anti-suntan lotion. They've gotta clean just like everyone else too, which is why there's Wick-ex and Flame-o, as variations on Windex and Drain-o. It's gotta be hard for fire people to use cash, but the good news is that they have credit cards, such as Magma Card and Elemental Express.
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Other brands include Twig bars and Sparkburst candy, inspired by Twix and Starburst. There are also fuel-based soft drinks like Dr. Diesel and Sparkling Kerosene, as well as good old fashioned Gas in a Can. Want a tasty dessert? Enjoy a delicious Pinecone in the shape of an ice cream cone. Don't have enough fire in your breath? Chew some Jumbo Red or DoubleMagma gum. Maybe even get a burning coal from a gumball-style machine. Perhaps my favorite item above is the hot log, which uses a larger branch piece as a bun, and a smaller twig as a hot dog. You'll notice there are even products in the fire language created for the movie, because this is also an immigrant tale.
These kind of things are my favorite details to spot in the background of Pixar movies, and I can't wait to see what else there is to find in Element City. Surely there will be plenty to see from the rest of the elemental people.
"Elemental" arrives in theaters starting on June 16, 2023. You can get tickets now right here.