A new take on the four elements — earth, wind, water and fire — lands in theaters June 16 with Pixar’s latest film “Elemental.” The four kinds of beings who live in Element City, resembling earthly plants, gusty clouds, rippling water and sparking flames.
Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) anxiously awaits the day that she can take over her father’s shop, The Fireplace, so that he can finally retire and rest after a lot of hard work and sacrifice moving her and her mother away from Fireland to Element City for a better life. Enter Wade, a water being and pipe inspector, who challenges Ember’s path that has been blazed for her from a young age. Though elements are not supposed to mix, the fiery Ember and go-with-the-flow Wade cannot help but gravitate toward each other. Their various adventures help them get to know one another and develop their forbidden love.
Here are the cast and characters of Pixar’s “Elemental”:
Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis)
Ember, voiced by Leah Lewis, is the daughter of Bernie and Cinder, two Fire people who immigrated to Element City from Fireland. Ever since she was a baby watching her father, whom she affectionately calls “Ashva,” stoke the flames of his shop, “The Fireplace.” He groomed her to eventually take over the hearth “when she was ready.” Since then, she has dreamed of the day she can control her hot temper, which gets in the way of her effectively serving customers. Ember’s life changes when she meets Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie).
Leah Lewis is known for playing Georgia “George” in The CW’s “Nancy Drew” series. She also portrayed Ellie Chu in Netflix’s “The Half of It,” and she appeared as Shannon in “Station 19.”
Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie)
Wade Ripple is an inspector for Element City. He enters The Fireplace through the pipes after searching for the source of a leak in the city since the water was shut off in Firetown a long time ago. He cries very easily because of his sensitivity to beauty and emotions. Wade writes Ember citation tickets for her father’s shop not being up to code, but once he realizes how much that would mean to her and her father if the shop got shut down, he tries to help her cancel out the violations.
Athie is known for portraying Ramsay Cole in “Jurassic World: Dominion” (2022), Nolan in “Black Box” (2020), Rodrigo Nagenda in “Underwater” (2020) and Jared in “The Circle” (2017).
Gale (Wendi McLendon-Covey)
Gale is Wade’s supervisor and a big Windbreakers fan. The Windbreakers are an airball team. Gale makes Ember a deal to try and stop the leak to get her citations forgiven.
McLendon-Covey has played Rita in “Bridesmaids” (2011), Beverly Goldberg in “The Goldbergs,” “Deputy Clementine Johnson in “Reno 911!” and Jen in “Blended.”
Brook Ripple (Catherine O’Hara)
Wade’s mother Brook is an architect. His emotional sensitivity was inherited from her. She encouraged Wade to follow his dreams.
Catherine O’Hara is known for playing Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek,” Cookie Fleck in “Best in Show,” Mickey Crabbe in “A Mighty Wind,” and Kate McCallister in the “Home Alone” films.
Bernie Lumen (Ronnie Del Carmen)
Bernie is Ember’s Ashva and owner of “The Fireplace.” His choice to leave his homeland of Fireland and his family behind to start a new life in Element City represents major sacrifice. His shop marked the beginning of Firetown in Element City, which was not originally designed with fire people in mind.
Del Carmen works on both sides of animation stories for Pixar, voicing Windstar in “Soul” and an Abstract Thought Mind Worker. He did production design on the Pixar short film “One Man Band.” He joined Pixar Animation Studios in the summer of 2000, becoming a story supervisor on “Finding Nemo.” He also did story work on “Ratatouille,” and served as Head of Story on “Up.” He co-directed “Inside Out.”
Cinder Lumen (Shila Ommi)
Shila Ommi voices Ember’s mother Cinder, who immigrated with Ashva to Element City while she was pregnant. She does love readings for prospective couples, lighting flames to sense whether they make a good match.
Shila Ommi plays Nahid Kamali in ‘Tehran” on Apple TV+, and she appeared as Shamsi in an episode of “The Bold Type.” In “Little America,” she played Yasmin.
Clod (Mason Wertheimer)
Clod is an Earthling who has a crush on Ember. He thinks he can match her maturity, though he is much younger than her. “Elemental” is one of Mason Wertheimer’s first big roles.
Fern (Joe Pera)
Fern is another higher-up of Wade’s. He does his work slowly but diligently. Joe Pera has voiced characters in “Teenage Euthanasia,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Search Party” and more.
