- “Ember, the shop was never the dream. You were the dream. You were always the dream.”
- ―Bernie to his daughter after the flood has dried
Bùrdì "Bernie" Lumen is a major character in the 2023 Disney/Pixar animated feature film Elemental. He is the rancorous and prejudiced husband of Cinder, and father of Ember. He is the former owner of The Fireplace, which he built after being forced to leave Fire Land for a fresh start in Element City.
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
Personality[]
Bernie is a hard working fire person, he strongly loves his family and respects all their traditions from their homeland. Bernie dedicates himself to his work in the Fireplace and his family. He misses his family in their homeland in Fire Land, 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 Fire Land 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 towards 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 smugly 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. After he discovered that 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 Cinder realizes Wade has seeped into the stone ceiling after Ember found him and played his family's crying game, she asks Bernie to help make him drip back to his form. He does so by claiming that Wade 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[]
Bernie Lumen was born and grew up as Bùrdì in his native country Fire Land, Bernie met Cinder as Síddèr, they both got married, Cinder got pregnant, and they tried to open a store called Lumen's General Store, but a disastrous storm destroyed it just as it was completed. Then Bernie and Cinder decided to immigrate to start a better new life. Prior to immigrating from Fire Land with 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 his daughter's temper would create problems and urged her to control it. Ember insisted on doing deliveries, which Bernie agreed to. After she made the deliveries, Bernie asked Ember to be in charge of The Red Dot Sale tomorrow, and Ember promised him that she won't let him down.
Next morning, Bernie woke up and then he saw Ember chasing a Water guy named Wade Ripple. Then He found out that Water leaks began to emerge at the Fireplace through its plumbing, confusing and frustrating him. When Ember came back and went to fix the pipes, Bernie asked her if Wade burst the pipes, his daughter said yes and that's why she chased him, but she couldn't catch him. Cinder told Bernie that they will get through this just like before, then Cinder told Ember the reason why she and Bernie left Fire Land and came to Element City to built the shop, about Fire Land was, what there was and about the storm. Ember promised to Bernie that nothing is gonna happen to the shop or the blue flame.
Upon another series of leaks in Thursday, Bernie found Ember with Wade into the basement, So he threatened him with a poker saying to him that he's the guy who started all this. then Ember firms that Wade is a different guy. As Wade 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 that his retirement is in two days, and gifted Ember with a new store sign bearing her name. Bernie told Ember how his father refused to bow back to him when he left his homeland.
Bernie about to give the Blue Flame to Ember so she would to take over the shop (even though she doesn't want to).
Bernie confronts Wade after he barges in during the ceremony.
Bernie stand close to Wade and asked him what kind of food inspection is this. Wade answered that is a food inspection of the heart, Bernie asked Wade who is he, Wade said that he's just a guy who burst into Ember's life in a flooded old basement. Then Bernie told Wade that he is the one who burst the pipes, and Wade inadvertently letting it slip that Ember initially caused the Fireplace's leaks due to her temper. Ember angrily ordered Wade to leave, telling him that she don't loves him. Heartbroken by her rejection, Wade placed the glass vivisteria at her feet and sadly walked away.
Bernie yells at Ember for causing the leaks in the shop and renounced his retirement.
Bernie angrily rebuked Ember for seeing a water element and for causing the leak in the shop and defying his trust. Bernie denied Ember the store and renounces his retirement as a punishment.
The next day, Cinder and Bernie are cleaning up the shop after the party while Ember takes time to herself. 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 while she's saving the Blue Flame from getting wet. After the flood receded, Bernie found Ember alone and safe with the Blue Flame, 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. He 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. Upon Cinder's urging, 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 he 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 head off as they leave so his daughter can study glassmaking. Before Ember leaves, she bows to Bernie. He tearfully returns the bow before she leaves.
Trivia[]
- Bernie Lumen's anger mood is a mix of Anger from Inside Out, Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, Shrek and Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants.
- Between Bernie and Shrek got married and had children (one had only one kid and other one had three kids) and they were judged and rejected before being known.
- 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 the film includes Bernie mispronouncing various words, such as "ban" to "pan" after he banned Wade from his shop when he made Bernie's kol-nuts taste better by watering down under the claim that he was a food inspector.
Gallery[]
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Miscellaneous[]
External links[]
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