Elemental’s VFX Crew Explains How They Crafted a Character Made of Water

On paper, Elemental is a classic opposites-attract tale, in the most literal sense: the two main characters are the personification of fire and water. But when it came to animating the pair, the creative team behind Disney and Pixar’s box-office hit faced unique challenges—one of which being, how do you craft a character that appears made out of water?

io9 has a first look at one of the special features included with Elemental’s home release, “Ember and Wade,” which examines how the characters came to animated life. This clip focuses on Wade Ripple, voiced by Mamoudou Athie, and delves into how the team created his liquid-yet-stable form—with an attention to detail that even extended to the back of Wade’s transparent head.

Among the other special features is Carl’s Date, a short film featuring much-loved Up characters Carl and Dug the dog which played with Elemental’s theatrical release, as well as other making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, commentary by director Peter Sohn and others, and more.

Elemental hits digital platforms (Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, etc.) today, and arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD September 26.

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