Ever see an animation about dumplings? Well, Pixar will be crossing that item off your list this summer.
Bao, wich will play before Incredibles 2, will tell the story of a woman whose children no longer live with her. One day, she finds that one of her handmade dumplings has come to life.
Bao is tearing down walls for Pixar, becoming the first ever short directed by a woman for the studio. Domee Shi drew from her background as a child of Chinese immigrants (she even calls her mother a “dumpling master!”)
Shi spoke in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly:
“Often times it felt like my mom would treat me like a precious little dumpling, wanting to make sure I was safe, that I didn’t go out late, all that stuff. I just wanted to create this magical, modern-day fairy tale, kind of like a Chinese Gingerbread Man story. The word ‘bao’ actually means two things in Chinese: Said one way, it means steamed bun. Said another, it means something precious. A treasure.”
-Domee Shi
For some inspiration, animators for the short used footage of Shi’s mother making dumplings as a reference while animating.
Bao rolls into theaters June 15, 2018.
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