Interview: ‘Elemental’ Director Peter Sohn and Producer Denise Ream Discuss Their Technical Marvel

When you watch Elemental, it’s impossible not to appreciate the technical achievement that it is. I spoke about this a bit here and here when previewing the latest Pixar effort, but it’s worth noting. What’s as notable is that the movie, despite its technological innovations, is all about emotions and love. That’s the secret sauce, which is a credit to director and co-writer Peter Sohn. Sohn, along with his producer Denise Ream, was able to make this high concept yet deeply personal. Last week, I was able to sit down (in person!) with both to talk about the flick. Today, that conversation comes your way…

In my review of the film here, I had this to say about the filmmaking on display in Elemental:

Director Peter Sohn brings a real personal aspect to this story. Sohn’s relationship to his parents informs the plot, with lovely results. The direction showcases strong pacing and a great sense of both humor and romance. The script, written by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, Brenda Hsueh, and Sohn, is very clever. They also include a perfectly placed dirty joke towards the end that had me howling. Composer Thomas Newman contributes a wonderful score, truly surrounding the terrific visuals with some memorable music. Sohn and company put their all into this project and it really shows.

Below, you can see my conversation with Sohn and Ream. Having listened to both talk about what went into making Elemental look like it does, I was really interested to hear about how it feels to be at the finish line. In particular, considering how personal it all is to Sohn, getting his take at this particular time just felt right. Plus, I got to ask them about my favorite joke in the flick, which gave us all a really nice laugh. Elemental is in theaters now and is another must-see from Pixar!

Here now is my interview with Elemental director Peter Sohn and producer Denise Ream. Enjoy:

Elemental is in theaters now!