Pixar’s ‘Bao’ Is Their First Film Directed by a Woman
Pixar has debuted their first film, Bao, directed by Domee Shi.
The short animated film was written and directed by Domee Shi, a Chinese-Canadian woman. Shi pulled from her childhood to create the sweet short.
It focuses on a Chinese mother creating a deep connection with a baby dumpling that has come to life. The mother is suffering from empty nest syndrome, so it only makes sense that she would feel attached to the newborn dumpling. Plus, the little guy is so adorable. But it isn’t all rainbows and butterflies as the baby dumpling begins to rapidly grow up.
This is a change of tune for Pixar as they had come under fire in the past for not giving women and people of color more of a voice. In an interview with NPR, Shi says “You’re just seeing this gradual shift in the industry because, before, animation was predominantly white and male, but now in animation schools all over the country enrollment is now over 50 percent female. … And I hope that we’re going to see those numbers be reflected in the industry and not just in the animation schools.”
The short film is eight minutes long, which is just long enough to make you attached to a baby dumpling and maybe even shed a tear when you see it grow up. The film plays just before Incredibles 2, which hit theaters on June 15.
