Bernie

Bernie Lumen^[1] is a major character in the Pixar film, Elemental. He is Cinder's husband and Ember's father who runs a convenience store called The Fireplace. Bernie plans on retiring and letting his daughter take over when she proves to him, she's ready.

Background

"Bernie Lumen is a fire element with a big crackling personality that burns with pride. He’s passionate about his homeland, about his daughter, Ember, and about Fireplace, the shop he runs in Element City. "

—Elemental Press Kit

According to Elemental screenwriter John Hoberg, “What I love about Bernie is that he’s a character that has nothing but wonderful intentions for Ember. I think an easier route would’ve been creating that overbearing dad who didn’t approve of his daughter. We’ve seen that before, but that’s not Peter’s story—Peter's dad was lovely. We wanted that quality portrayed in the film.”^[2]

Personality

Bernie is a hard working man, he strongly loves his family and respects all their traditions from their homeland. Bernie dedicates himself on his work in Fireplace and his family. He misses his family in their homeland in Fireland, as they haven't seen them since they left to Element City. Before leaving, Bernie bowed to his father, but his father didn't return his gesture and didn't give him his blessing. Nowadays, Bernie wishes their relatives from Fireland could see their life in Element City.

Because he and Cinder suffered prejudice from being fire elements when they arrived in Element City, both did not respect non-fire elements. Bernie had a bigger dislike on water elements because the water people were the ones who disrespected them the most. So when Wade Ripple came to his shop and claimed he was a "food inspector", Bernie made him eat extremely hot kol-nuts, and looked at him rather smug when Wade begins to suffer and feel pain from eating the hot food. When Wade watered down the nuts and said it tasted great once it was watered down, Bernie lost his patience and banned Wade from entering the Fireplace again. Also at first, he thinks Wade is the one who burst the pipes since his daughter, Ember, told him that. So he threatened Wade with a fireplace poker.

Bernie trusts Ember very much, as he wanted her to run Fireplace after he retires. Upon discovering Ember was going out with Wade and she was the one who damaged the pipes in the shop (which Wade accidentally revealed), Bernie got angry and disappointed with her, and changed his mind on letting her run the shop. When Firetown flooded, Bernie saw Ember going to the flooded Fireplace and was scared she would die. When he found her crying after Wade evaporated, Bernie finally realized how much she and Wade loved each other. When Ember confessed that she doesn't want to run Fireplace, Bernie assured her that his dream wasn't the shop, but her. This shows that Bernie cares more about Ember than the shop. When Ember realizes Wade has seeped into the stone ceiling, she asks Bernie to help make him drip back to his form. He does so by claiming that he is no longer banned from the shop. He was happy to see Ember and Wade reunite, but felt awkward when they kissed.

Currently, Bernie now accepts non-fire elements, such as Air, Earth, and Water in his life. He left the shop to be run by a fire couple who always make fun of his cooking. He now likes Wade and accepts him as his daughter's boyfriend, but is still unsure about how Wade cries over almost everything.

Physical appearance

Bernie is an elderly man with noticeable wrinkles under his eyes. Being a fire element, his entire body is made out of red, orange and yellow fire, forming a rather short, plump body slightly taller than Cinder's body, complete with eyebrows, a horn shaped nose, and eyes having a similar color scheme as fire.

Bernie wears minimal clothing; consisting of a pair of black shorts. To make it up for it, he wears a black apron when working at the Fireplace.

During the ceremony for his retirement, Bernie wears his casual shorts with a transparent red sleeveless vest with many colorful stones on it.

Appearances

Elemental

Prior to immigrating from his native country Fireland with his pregnant wife, Cinder, Bernie had bowed to his father, who refused to bow back as he thought his son was defying Firish traditions by moving away. Bernie and Cinder arrived in Element City via boat, where they were given their legal names as opposed to their Firish ones. The couple had a difficult time finding residency since other elements, Water, Earth and Air, were xenophobic toward them. As a result, Bernie developed a prejudice against non-Fire elements especially Water.

Bernie and Cinder eventually found a rundown building in an Earth neighborhood and established the Fireplace, a convenience store. Soon, Bernie's daughter, Ember, was born, and together they lit the Blue Flame, a fire that represents Firish heritage and traditions. Overtime, the Fireplace became a popular spot, attracting many Fire element patrons and soon the surrounding neighborhood became Firetown, a dominantly Fire district with some Earth elements remaining. Bernie promised his daughter the reins of the Fireplace when he retires.

Years passed and Bernie became increasingly exhausted with working at the Fireplace, often coughing up smoke. Though Ember was of age to take over the shop, Bernie worried her daughter's temper would create problems and urged her to control it. Leaks began to emerge at the Fireplace through its plumbing, confusing and frustrating Bernie. Ember would help fix the pipes but also routinely leave the shop, making Bernie suspicious. Upon another series of leaks, Bernie found Ember with a Water element named Wade, who claimed to be a food inspector. Bernie challenged Wade by making him eat hot kol-nuts and angrily banned him from the shop when the latter watered down Bernie's food to his liking.

Feeling Ember was ready to take over the Fireplace, Bernie announced his retirement and gifted Ember with a new store sing in her name. Bernie told Ember how his father refused to bow back to him when he left his country. Just before promoting Ember, Wade appeared and professed his love for Bernie's daughter, while inadvertently letting it slip that Ember initially caused the Fireplace's leaks due to her temper. After Ember rejected Wade and sent him off, Bernie angrily rebuked Ember for regularly seeing a water element and defying his trust. Bernie denied Ember the store and renounces his retirement.

When Firetown began to flood (due to a broken dam that Ember and Wade tried to mend), Bernie and Cinder managed to reach safe ground but their daughter was trapped in the Fireplace with Wade. After the flood receded, Bernie found Ember alone and safe but Wade had evaporated due to being stuck in an enclosed space with Ember. Bernie comforted Ember as she confessed her love for Wade and admits she doesn't want to take over the Fireplace, her father's dream. Bernie assured her that the shop was never his dream, but having her as his daughter was his dream. When Ember realizes Wade has seeped into the stone ceiling, she plays the crying game to get him to drip back into his normal form. Bernie plays along by claiming that Wade is no longer banned from the Fireplace. He looks on happily as his daughter is reunited with her love but looks away awkwardly when the couple kiss.

Months later, Bernie has retired, handing the reins of the Fireplace to a couple of Fire elements who frequented the shop. Bernie, now more accepting towards Air, Earth, and Water elements, watched Ember and Wade off as they leave far away so his daughter can study glassmaking. Before Ember leaves, she bows to Bernie. He tearfully bows back.

Trivia

• Like Cinder, Bernie is similar to King Triton from The Little Mermaid as both were prejudiced against a certain species for their daughters after they fall in love with one of them (humans for Triton after Ariel fell in love with Eric and non-fire elements for Bernie after Ember fell in love with Wade), until they both got over it.
• A running gag in film includes Bernie mispronouncing the word "ban" to "pan" after he banned Wade from his shop when he claimed he was a food inspector.

Gallery

References