Bao (film)

Bao
Film poster
Directed by Domee Shi
Produced by Becky Neiman-Cobb
Written by Domee Shi
Music by Toby Chu
Production
company
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release date
Running time
 8 minutes
Country Canada, United States

Bao is a 2018 computer-animated short film written and directed by Domee Shi and produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It was released with Incredibles 2 on June 15, 2018. The film is about an aging and lonely Chinese-Canadian mother, suffering from empty nest syndrome, who receives an unexpected second chance at motherhood when she makes a dumpling that comes to life as a boy.

Plot

In Toronto, Canada, a Canadian Chinese woman, whose husband is busy at work, makes a Baozi that comes alive. She raises the dumpling as a child, feeding it meals. Eventually the child wishes to join with the other kids, despite his mother's protection. As her son ages into a teenager and a young adult, he increasingly wants independence, while his mother wishes for more attention from him, feeling ignored. When the dumpling introduces his new fiancée and announces his intentions to move out of his mother's house, his mother prevents this by swallowing him whole, after which she cries over what she has done. Later, the mother lies in bed, and her real son enters the room, revealing that the whole sequence was allegorical. The son, resembling the dumpling, is told by his father to comfort his mother, as she ignores him. He enters the room, offering the same treat the mother gave the dumpling, and as they share it, they both break down in tears. Afterwards, the whole family, including the son's fiancée, make dumplings, as they sit at the table watching television.

Production

Domee Shi, director and writer
Becky Neiman-Cobb, producer

Bao was directed by Domee Shi, the first woman to direct a Pixar short, and produced by Becky Neiman-Cobb.[1][2] Shi, a Chinese-Canadian, drew from personal experiences growing up with an overprotective mother, with whom she regularly made dumplings, and wanted to make a modern-day fairy tale.[3][4] When pitching the film to the studio, Shi was concerned that Pixar would find it too dark or culturally specific to be well received.[3] The house in the short is deliberately filled with many small details which Shi hoped would be familiar to Asian viewers, such as the rice cooker, lucky cat, and tin foil covering the drip pans.[3] During the film's production the crew made regular trips to their local Chinatown, and Shi's mother visited Pixar to give dumpling-making lessons.[3][5]

Release

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 21, 2018 and was subsequently shown as a short film before screenings of Incredibles 2.[2][6]

Reception

In The Verge's review of Incredibles 2, Tasha Robinson described Bao as an "extremely emotional little film" and a "perfect complement" to the main feature.[7] Inkoo Kang of Slate called the film a "moving encapsulation of the Asian-immigrant experience".[8] Jess Lee for Digital Spy said that the film "hit extremely close to home", but added that the story has "universal themes which should resonate with most cultures".[9]

While the film was very well-received by Asian audiences, some western audiences found the short confusing.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ Chen, Heather (April 13, 2018). "Bao is Pixar's first film by an Asian woman". Retrieved April 15, 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
  2. 1 2 Lee, Jess (March 28, 2018). "Pixar's next short film centres on a Chinese mother and a cute baby dumpling". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dockterman, Eliana (June 14, 2018). "The Story Behind Bao, the Adorable Short Before The Incredibles 2". Time. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ Soto, Kaly (June 27, 2018). "The Creator of 'Bao' on That Twist: 'Part of Me Wanted to Shock Audiences'". New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  5. ↑ Zack, Jessica (June 20, 2018). "Pixar's 'Incredibles 2' short preview 'Bao' powered by women — and food". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Tribeca Film Festival Schedule - Tribeca". Tribeca. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  7. ↑ Robinson, Tasha (June 15, 2018). "With Incredibles 2, Pixar moves away from complicated emotions". The Verge. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ Kang, Inkoo (June 15, 2018). "Pixar's Bao Is so Much More Than an Appetizer for Incredibles 2". Slate. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  9. ↑ Lee, Jess (July 17, 2018). "Pixar's dumpling short Bao had me crying, but the themes are universal". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  10. ↑ Lee, Jess (June 27, 2018). "Bao: Asian Americans hit back after some white people call Pixar's emotional short "confusing"". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  11. ↑ Radulovic, Petrana (June 26, 2018). "The polarized reactions to Pixar's 'Bao' are rooted in culture". Polygon. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
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