‘Elemental’ Teaser Trailer Introduces Disney-Pixar Audiences to Element City’s Fire, Water, Land and Air Residents (Video)

thewrap.com:

When director Peter Sohn (“The Good Dinosaur”) introduced the film at this year’s D23 Expo, he said that it was inspired by his upbringing, the son of two immigrant parents who operated a local grocery store.

He wanted to make a movie about how, deep down, we are all really the same. And the footage that they previewed (including more gorgeous shots of that “train”) were really impressive – technologically and artistically, “Elemental” seems to really be pushing some boundaries.

The anthropomorphic elements of the trailer do feel a tad familiar, as Pixar has set previous movies inside a child’s mind (the emotions are alive!), a city full of monsters (the monster’s are alive!), a plane full of souls (the souls are alive!) and a universe where automobiles rule (the cars are alive!) Plus the mismatched romantic comedy trope has played out in a series of Pixar short films (“The Blue Umbrella,” “Lava,” “Knick Knack”).But if Pixar has a knack for anything, it’s taking something familiar, even something from their own catalog, and making it feel fresh and new.