Somewhere between the romantic developments of Ember and Wade, Pixar’s Elemental also introduces the studio’s first non-binary character, Lake — here’s everything we know about them. Inspired by a true story, Elemental takes viewers on a visually spectacular and emotionally charged journey that dabbles with themes surrounding immigration, familial ties, and even class divides. Although the movie was not as highly acclaimed and commercially successful as most other Pixar films following its release, it found its success after landing on Disney+, garnering over 26 million views.
Many factors contributed to Elemental‘s massive streaming success. One of the more evident reasons why the animated movie performed so well is the wonderfully rom-com narrative of its two main characters, Ember and Wade. While introducing heart-warming moments between the two, the film also introduces light humor that primarily revolves around the unique gimmicks of their respective elements. However, the not-so-evident reason Elemental has been received so well is its emphasis on little details and willingness to bring some progress to Pixar’s LGBTQ+ representation by introducing a character named Lake.
Elemental’s Lake Is Pixar’s First Ever Non-Binary Character: When They Appear
As the title suggests, Elemental‘s world encompasses a population of people belonging to the four different elements: air, water, fire, and earth. Pixar’s first non-binary character, Lake Ripple, belongs to the water element and is the younger sibling of Wade Ripple, the secondary protagonist in the film. In the movie, Lake briefly appears when Wade takes Ember home to introduce her to his family. After they enter the family’s dining room, Wade tells Ember that Lake is his “little sib” and even introduces his girlfriend, Ghibli. He also adds that they’re both students at Element City School for the Arts, to which Lake responds, “Following on Mom’s wake.“
Who Voices Lake In Elemental
Voice actor Kai Ava Hauser voiced Lake Ripple in Elemental. Although the movie does not directly credit them as a voice actor, they have been confirmed as the voice behind Lake. Before taking the voice role of Lake in Elemental, Hauser also voiced Hoku in Cyclone, Aria in Spooky Mouth, and various other characters in video games like Cleo – a pirate’s tale, Return to Monkey Island, and Our Life: Beginnings & Always. In a social media post (via Twitter), Kia Ava Hauser also broke the news of how they portrayed Pixar’s first non-binary character, Lake, in Elemental and encouraged their followers to watch the film.
Pixar’s History Of LGBTQ+ Representation
Pixar’s history of LGBTQ+ representation goes all the way back to 2016, where it introduced its first lesbian couple in Finding Dory. Three years later, in 2019, Pixar pushed the envelope a little further by introducing its first lesbians of color in Toy Story 4 in a fleeting scene where two mothers interact with their son. Onward‘s cyclops cop, Specter, was Pixar’s first official lesbian character, who still had relatively less screen time but showed how Pixar was gradually progressing with LGBTQ+ representation. After Onward and before Elemental, 2022’s Lightyear was the first Pixar film to feature same-sex kiss between Hawthorne and her female partner.
