"Elemental" director Peter Sohn, known for directing Pixar's 2015 film, "The Good Dinosaur," said in a statement that the inspiration for "Elemental" came from his own experience growing up in New York. "My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx," he said (via Deadline). "We were among many families who ventured to a new land with hopes and dreams — all of us mixing into one big salad bowl of cultures, languages, and beautiful little neighbourhoods. That's what led me to 'Elemental.'"