Will Disney Actually Make It?

One insider offered an update on the possibility of an Elemental 2 from Disney and Pixar. 

The animation giant’s first true love story came out of nowhere in summer 2023, putting together one of the most shocking box office runs in recent memory. 

After receiving middling reviews and a debuting to a dismal opening weekend, it seemed as though Elemental was another animated flop for the studio.

However, the film “didn’t evaporate at the box office” thanks to its strong legs, earning more than “$400 million at the global box office,” according to Disney. 

Elemental 2 Could Be On The Way

According to industry insider Jeff Bock, Elemental 2 could be on the cards at Disney and Pixar. 

In an appearance on The Town with Matthew Belloni, Bock revealed he has heard Disney is going to “turn [Elemental] into a [Disney+] series” and “there might even be an Elemental sequel:”

Bock: “Disney has a way with this. Disney is also going to turn this into a [Disney+] series, I’ve already heard. And there might even be an ‘Elemental’ sequel. Obviously next summer-“

Justifying a sequel to the 2023 film, he added, “You go back to the safety net for these sequels,” noting that thanks to Elemental, Disney has seen “a great ramping up of their grosses:”

Belloni: “No, I don’t think they’re not going to do a sequel.”

Bock: “They might! Listen, there is a Disney+ series on the way and ‘Inside Out 2’ is obviously coming next summer. You go back to the safety net for these sequels. Pixar’s going to be fine. This is a great ramping up of their grosses, after that D+ grade that they got for their streaming content.”

This is not the first time Disney dipping its toe back into the world of Element City has been brought up either. 

In a conversation with The Direct, Elemental writers John Hoberg and Kat Likkel let slip that a tease for a sequel was included in early versions of the film but never made to the final cut. 

Likkel confirmed that there was an early idea to introduce a “steam baby” toward the end of the film:

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?”

Hoberg: “Well, I don’t know.”

Likkel: “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.” 

“There’s so much more to tell,” Hoberg added, leaving the door open for another film in the Elemental universe:

Hoberg: “I think there was a feeling of like, ‘Well, you know what, let’s leave somewhere for them to go… If audiences really respond, that would be great.’ I mean, there’s so much more to tell because, in a marriage, this is the big romantic moment. And now they’ve got to figure their life out together. And I think all of us just love the thought of like, ’What are they up to now?’”

Will an Elemental Sequel Happen?

Going back to the release of Elemental, a sequel was the furthest thing from anyone’s brain. However, the movie recovered and now seems set for more stories to be told in that world. 

Disney has made it clear since Bob Iger was reinstated as CEO last year that known IP is king at the studio, as the industry looks to recover from financial woes brought on by streaming and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has been demonstrated in the announcement of a new Frozen film, Toy Story 5, a live-action Moana remake, and so much more. 

So, if the studio now has another marketable IP to play around with, why would it not dive in and do a full-fledged sequel? 

As of now, the Pixar calendar is looking fairly blank. While films like Toy Story 5 are in development, the only two projects that have been given a date are next year’s Elio and Inside Out 2. 

The beloved animation house does have three open release dates June 26, 2025, March 6, 2026, and June 19, 2026. While that 2025 date might be a little soon for Elemental 2, if Disney wanted to fast-track the sequel it could make sense for either of those 2026 dates, putting roughly three years between the original film and its sequel.

At the time of writing, Elemental 2 has no official confirmation from Disney, but the original film can be streamed now on Disney+.