A new report indicated Disney+'s interesting future plans for Pixar's Elemental.
Despite being Pixar's lowest-rated original movie on Rotten Tomatoes and some initial claims that the movie was a flop following a weak theatrical opening, Disney pointed out that Elemental "didn't just evaporate in the box office," considering that it crossed the $400 million mark in August 2023.
Elemental is now available on all major digital platforms, but its Disney+ release date has yet to be announced.
What Is Disney+'s Plan for Pixar's Elemental?
Jeff Bock of Exhibitors Relations Co., via The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, claimed that Pixar's Elemental will have a spin-off series on Disney+ and a sequel could be in development:
“Disney is also going to turn this into a D+ series, I’ve already heard. And there might even be an 'Elemental' sequel.”
In an exclusive interview with The Direct in June 2023, Elemental writer Kat Likkel revealed that there was an early idea for a sequel tease.
The head scribe shared that they were supposed to introduce a "steam baby," noting that Wade and Ember were initially supposed to come back to Fire Town to reveal that "they've had a baby, and the baby was steam:"
The Direct: "'Elemental’s' ending perfectly delivered a worthwhile capper to the story of Wade and Ember. If you were to create a potential sequel to the movie, what story ideas do you want to see?"
John: “Well, I don’t know.”
Kat: “Oh, did we already talk about the steam baby? At one point, there was going to be a little addendum at the end. Instead of them [Wade and Ember] just leaving at the end, you were going to see that they had been gone and we’re coming back to visit, and they’ve had a baby, and the baby was steam. And so it’s like… that was something I kept fighting for that for a long time.”
It's possible that this idea could be developed in either the planned spin-off series or Elemental 2.
Meanwhile, this isn't the first time that Disney+ made spin-off shows inspired by Pixar movies.
Monsters at Work is a series based on Monsters, Inc. that was released on Disney+ on July 7, 2021. The show takes place six months after the events of Monster Inc., and it revolves around Tylor Tuskmon's quest to join the Laugh Floor.
Forky Asks a Question is Toy Story 4's spin-off series that made its debut on Disney+ on November 12, 2019. From the title itself, the series of shorts showcases Forky asking important questions about the world.
Dug Days is a Pixar series based on Up, and it explores the adventures of Dug and Carl after the events of the film. The show premiered on Disney+ on September 1, 2021.
Cars on the Road is another show based on the Cars movies, exploring the adventures of Lightning McQueen and Mater on a cross-country road trip. The series premiered on Disney+ on September 8, 2022.
In June 2023, a report claimed that Disney was developing an Inside Out series, but the show's focus remains unknown.
In July 2023, another report shared that Disney+ "quietly canceled" Win or Lose's planned spin-off series.
What Is the Story of Elemental’s Spin-Off Series?
Elemental's ending opened up many storytelling opportunities that a spin-off or sequel could further explore.
Aside from a potential "steam baby" reveal that Elemental writer Kat Likkel mentioned, a spin-off could revolve around Ember and Wade's cross-country journey or it might end up showing their path to marriage.
The Elemental spin-off could also focus on other characters in Element City, such as Bernie, Cinder, Gale, and Clod.
It's also possible that the spin-off could take a page from Zootopia+ by showing the other perspectives of characters during Elemental's main events via a series of shorts.
Whatever the case, seeing more of Elemental's world is a huge win for Disney.
Elemental is available on major digital platforms.
