Elemental: What Song Plays During The Cyclone Stadium Sporting Event?
"Elemental" may have some of the markings of a classic Pixar film, namely, giving emotions to emotionless concepts, but it also stretches the studio's boundaries in intriguing ways. For starters, the movie is a true-blue romantic comedy, with a budding romance developing between Ember (Leah Lewis) and Wade (Mamoudou Athie). As a result, viewers see them do everything one would expect out of a recently-formed couple, like go on dates to sporting events.
The pair go to Cyclone Stadium to see the Windbreakers play. Important information arises during this sequence, but some members of the audience may get too caught up in the infectious music playing. There's a good chance if you frequent sporting events on your own, you recognize the tune as "Kernkraft 400" by German techno artist Zombie Nation. It's been a fixture of stadiums around the globe pretty much since it first came out in 1999, and now, it's officially part of Pixar's universe.
Sports teams and other films can't get enough of Kernkraft 400
Zombie Nation's "Kernkraft 400" has permeated the zeitgeist through numerous mediums. Its inclusion in "Elemental" isn't the first time it's popped up in a movie, as it can also be heard briefly in the practically flawless "Shaun of the Dead" in addition to 2015's "Focus." Other artists have sampled the track for their own music. You can distinctly recognize the beat in Childish Gambino's "The Awesome" and The Game's "Red Nation." However, for many, "Kernkraft 400" will forever be affiliated with sports.
Numerous teams have used the track periodically over the years to either play when the home team scores a point or win they win the game. Some noteworthy teams in the United States to repeatedly play "Kernkraft 400" include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Bruins, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Milwaukee Admirals. But the song is a worldwide hit, with many European teams using it, too, which makes sense considering Zombie Nation comes from Germany.
The song's enduring legacy is all the more impressive when considering it's trance music, and that genre really had its heyday in the late '90s and early 2000s. It just goes to show how catchy the song is, getting fans out of their seats to dance. Given the universal appeal of "Kernkraft 400" and the multicultural themes of "Elemental," it's the perfect song to use in the stadium scene.