The new Pixar and Disney animated feature “Elemental” has several classic film inspirations behind it, ranging all the way from the 1967 romantic drama “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” to 1974’s “Godfather 2” (you read that right).
For director Peter Sohn, no film was off-limits for a story that held deep personal connection to him. “Films that took cities and made them into characters. The beautiful Gordon Willis cinematography of ‘Manhattan’ or ‘Annie Hall.’ ‘Amelie,’ how they made Paris into a postcard, but then love stories from ‘Sense and Sensibility’ to ‘Moonstruck,’” Sohn told TheWrap.
But whether the film is considered a romantic comedy is a point of contention between the cast and the writers. “Whenever people call this a rom-com — not to disagree, there are obviously romantic elements — but, for me, this movie has been always primarily about family,” said Mamoudou Athie, who plays Wade in the film.
John Hoberg and Kat Likkel, cowriters of the film, understand where Athie is coming from. According to Hoberg, one of the notes given to the film in the early days of production was “it’s either a romantic comedy, or it’s immigration guys, we, you know, it’s got to be one or the other,” Hoberg said. “I remember Pete’s response was, ‘When you’re second-generation American and you feel the burden to carry on and make up for what your parents have done there is no either/or.’ It’s all tied together and there’s no way to separate those things.”
For Sohn, regardless of filmic inspiration, the strongest background for this came from his own personal life. “I married someone that wasn’t Korean and my family’s whole thing was that we had to stay within our culture and my grandmother put so much pressure on us,” he said.
The romantic element only enhances the drama.
“Rom-coms don’t work unless they have good drama in them,” said Likkel, bringing things back to the inspirations that brought the film to fruition. Likkel and Hoberg point out that Wade’s big speech to Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) toward the film’s end is inspired by Richard Curtis’ 1999 feature, “Notting Hill.”
“There’s nothing diminutive about being called rom com because, to me, that automatically means emotion and drama,” Likkel said.
“Elemental” is in theaters Friday, June 16.
