Cannes 2023: Pixar’s Elemental closes the festival but which other Pixar films made their debut in France?

While the iconic Pixar lamp usually hops across our screens in the cinema, on TV or on our devices to signal the start of a magical animated picture, the classic Pixar credits indicate the curtains closing on two weeks of the Cannes Film Festival today.

After a fortnight of frilly dresses, tantalising premieres and controversial A-List appearances (Johnny Depp’s return to cinema is still up for debate), the French festival has reached its end with Pixar’s Elemental premiere acting as the finale.

What better way to bring down the curtain than with earth, wind, air and fire all in one sitting?

Audiences are in safe hands as Elemental’s director Peter Sohn has been responsible for creating the likes of 2015’s The Good Dinosaur as well as providing the voices for Pixar’s Ratatouille, Monsters University and Lightyear.

Although the Pixar animation starring Catherine O’Hara is being shown ‘out of competition’, it has quite the history to live up to as it follows in the footsteps of three other Pixar films that have also made their debuts on the French Riviera.

All preceding Pixar films have been at the hands of another Pete, namely Pete Docter, who entered ‘Up’, ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Soul’ to the international film festival.

They leave some big boots to fill for ‘Elemental’ as after Cannes, all three Pixar films have gone on to scoop the gong at the Oscars for Best Animated Picture, while ‘Up’ became the second fully animated film to be entered for Best Picture after Disney’s 1991 Beauty and the Beast.

Up’s Oscar historical success stemmed from the rave reviews it was given in the 2009 Cannes Film Festival after it was the first ever animated film selected to open the event, as well as the first to show in 3D.

While critics commended the film, numbers truly highlighted the movie’s success as it went on to make a whopping $735.1 million USD at box office.

On the ‘up and up’, Pete Docter’s second Cannes debut with Pixar in 2015 continued to build on their success in the French Riviera as ‘Inside Out’ went on to clear ‘Up’s’ box office statistics as well as reviews stating it was one of Pixar’s best offerings to date.

Even Covid-19 could not stop Pixar’s success in Cannes as ‘Soul’ landed in the French Riviera, in Rome and in London's BFI while other film festivals shut their doors due to the pandemic. ‘Soul’ went on to be nominated for Best Sound, Best Original Score and Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.

Therefore, while it is not uncommon to have a Pixar premiere in France, can Peter Sohn carry on Pete Docter’s Cannes legacy?