Animator and Oscar nominee, Ronnie del Carmen, recently took up his first significant voice-acting role as Bernie Lumen, father of the character Ember, in Disney/Pixar’s Elemental.
Del Carmen, originally from Cavite, has an illustrious background as an illustrator. His voice-over capabilities caught the attention of film director Peter Sohn and the production team, following minor voice-over contributions in Pixar films such as Soul and Inside Out.
“Recording a good portion of it took place at Pixar prior to the pandemic. Some of it happened in the spare bedroom of my house. The final takes were done in a recording booth, repeating lines over and over,” Del Carmen explained.
As a University of Santo Tomas graduate, Del Carmen related deeply to the story’s themes. He feels the narrative was almost custom-made for him, reflecting his experience as a Filipino immigrant.
“I could connect with being an immigrant, a father, and a son. Living in a country different from where I was born, striving for success, and managing familial issues that arise,” he shared. He added, “These are the challenges that Bernie faces in the story. I felt a strong kinship with Bernie’s journey and I could draw upon that in my performance.”
When questioned about future voice-over projects, Del Carmen expressed a willingness to take on more, jokingly stating, “If you’ll hire me, I’ll do it.”
Having served Pixar for many years, Del Carmen transitioned to Netflix in 2021. His distinguished career includes co-directing Inside Out with Pete Docter, which won the best animated picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes in 2016. His portfolio also comprises renowned animated films such as Soul, Monsters University, Toy Story 4, Coco, Incredibles 2, among others.
Elemental is a film set in a realm populated by the elements of nature—earth, air, fire, water. It narrates the journey of a family who migrates to a distant land after their home is decimated. The Lumens, distrusting of water elements, have a daughter named Ember, voiced by Leah Lewis. Ember eventually forms a duo with a water element named Wade, brought to life by Mamoudou Athie, as she pursues her glassmaking studies far from Fire City.
