Bao - Short Film Review

Before the superhero action kicked off in a screening for The Incredibles 2, there was a very unassuming, odd short film to precede it and it would be not only truly a heartfelt tale of motherhood/family but might just be the most accurate, spot on representation of mothers and sons in Asian American culture.  This film is called Bao, a Chinese dish that is essentially a steamed bread roll made with meat and vegetables wrapped into one.  It is both strangely cute yet an absolute joy to watch as it relies on many inspirations of Japanese Anime mixed with the traditional look of Disney animated films.  What makes this film so surprising and most importantly, a much-needed story to be told especially for Asian creatives out there? Let’s cook up this dish and look at it, starting with the story.

It is a story told through visuals and no dialogue, as we follow an Asian Couple in San Francisco living their lives together until a small little bread roll of Bao comes to life, like a new born baby into their world.  She ends up taking care of Bao and treating the bread roll like her own son as she mothers it and gives it all of her love.  However, as the years go by, the little Bao wants to see the world, connect with others, and grow up but ironically enough, she holds him back out of fear of losing him completely.  Bao eventually comes to head with his mother as they deal with the realities of growing up and motherhood, as it becomes the very thing that separates and brings them together.

When you see and understand what the tale has to say about these themes and the resolution of it, it is nothing but truthful, brutally real, and yet endearingly heartfelt in its intention of the story.  This is what makes it so unique from the traditional coming of age, family drama as it is truly stemmed right into Asian American culture especially with the writer/director Domee Shi helming this project as a storyteller that truly created this cute film out of her personal experiences and life story that many Asians can relate to, in some degree.  It is also got a bit of that Mizaki style to the writing and storytelling of the film as it evokes inspirations like Ponyo as a clear-cut example of what the filmmaker possibly drew on with this film along with the numerous animators/computer engineers to craft this short.

On the technical side, it has a very distinctive art direction to the world and the CGI/character designs as well as the use of Asian instrumentals for the score.  There is a great use of the real world and the settings that are part of this culture, from the look of Chinatown in San Francisco to the bakery filled Chinese dishes of a family owned shop.   It truly feels and looks like a believable world as well as capturing mature Asian women gracefully in animated form.  As for the design of Bao, absolutely strange, weird, and ends up being adorable as well as truly relatable when you see how it relates to a certain character arc.  Everything about its art direction is truly nothing short of phenomenal in how it captures Asian American culture and motherhood so passionately and truthfully, which gives it an edge over most animated shorts and your traditional coming of age story.

As for the score itself, it relies on a combination of traditional low-key orchestra with traditional string instruments related to the style of Asian Orchestra and it’s a perfect combination to represent the cultural clash of this little Bread Roll growing up as the music becomes in tune with Bao’s development.  It’s very effective and used to great effect along with the reliance on sound effects and music to tell this story.  This is yet another animated short film from Pixar/Disney to rely on visuals and sound design of the world/music to tell its story and it makes one appreciate how a shot can tell a clear, concise story more so than a dialogue exchange to express that point.   The sound design is on point here along with a wonderful Asian styled orchestra score to really encapsulate the story and setting through sound.

With the rising popularity of stories being told from everywhere from within different cultures and people instead of just a conceived perspective or notion from outsiders of them, Bao represents another important and heartfelt step for Asian Americans and the creative community within.  This is truly a very passionate and personal tale of motherhood and growing up that comes through in the sharp, concise writing and direction of the story as well as drawing from real life experiences that even this writer can attest to, despite being a mixed Asian.  The artistic look and soundscape is exceptionally crafted to really enhance and make this world believable for the short time we spend in this world.  This is one animated film that will be remembered for how it truly brings a unique human story that everyone can relate to, especially in its themes and characters.

Score ***** out of *****

Bao is a special, heartfelt animated short film that truly crafts this traditional tale of motherhood and growing up into something truly unique and showcases Asian culture in America in a way that is both endearing and truthful.  Domee Shi wrote one of the most concise and layered scripts that has been done on film as well as the truly steady and passionate direction to make it accurate and capture the slice of life for Asian Americans growing up as well as the elderly community’s lives as well.  The sound design is truly representative of the story in its use of music and sound effects to push the story forward meaningfully.  This is a short film that truly pulls the heart and makes us reflect on our families and growing up in a truly honest and heartwarming way that makes for a remarkable opening film for the latest Pixar film.  This is truly a great step forward in representing Asian Americans meaningfully as storytellers and filmmakers as well as the truly diverse crew behind the scenes to make this masterful short film.