The Academy announced the Oscars 2019 Animated Short Film nominations and among the five nominees is Pixar's
Bao.
While receiving an Oscar nomination is nothing unusual for Disney-Pixar,
Bao's nomination marks a groundbreaking moment for the studio; it is the first Pixar short film directed by a woman.
Director Domee Shi is responsible for bringing to life the adorable little dumpling in a story about a Chinese mother grappling with empty nest syndrome. The lonely woman is given another chance at becoming a parent again when one of her homemade dumplings springs to life; however, as her little bun grows up, the inevitable conflicts between parent and child arise and she's forced to acknowledge that no one stays little forever.
Bao, which played before Pixar's
The Incredibles 2, is an incredibly heartwarming story of a mother and son. Unfortunately, the nature in which the story was told did leave some viewers confused. Regardless, this is an incredible achievement for director Domee Shi who actually started her journey at Pixar as an intern.
In Disney•Pixar’s “Bao,” an aging Chinese mom suffering from empty nest syndrome gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life as a lively, giggly dumpling boy. Mom excitedly welcomes this new bundle of joy into her life, but Dumpling starts growing up fast, and Mom must come to the bittersweet revelation that nothing stays cute and small forever. This short film from Pixar Animation Studios and director Domee Shi explores the ups and downs of the parent-child relationship through the colorful, rich, and tasty lens of the Chinese immigrant community in Canada.
Hopefully, with the
creation of Pixar SparkShorts, a new experimental storytelling initiative that'll give more creative voices at the studio a chance to share their unique stories, we'll see more shorts like
Bao in the future.
Bao is up against fellow animated shorts
Animal Behaviour, Late Afternoon, One Small Step, and
Weekends. Tune into the Oscars on Sunday, February 24 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC to see who wins.