Bao (2018)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Wow! Such a good movie.

Memorable, crazy movie

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I was laughing so hard in this short animation.. It didn't make sense to me.. totally weird and artsy.. not needed.

As what the headline says above this short was shown before The Incredibles 2 came on and boy was it a strange one. The short is about a woman from China who makes dumplings that one in particular comes alive. She watches the dumpling grown up to become a headstrong teenager with a super hot girlfriend and she doesn't want this dumpling to leave the house.....IS this woman dreaming or not and does she even have a real son? Overall the animation is good but the plot of this short had me baffled. I don't wanna spoil what happens but if you seen The Incredibles 2 chances are you have seen this short.

Very confusing and a bit disturbing showing this preceding a movie for (young) children. I mean; at the end she eats her own 'son'... ? Guess who's not having dumplings for a while...And why is dad absent for the most part? Mom's losing it and he shows no support at all?

I am Chinese so I understand how food is very important in my culture. Almost way too important, more so than communication. This short film really emphasises this and yes I know all Pixar shorts have no script. Whenever the mother in Bao is with her dumpling she is feeding him or offering him food in every scene. I am aware food is seen as love that bonds family and friends. But raising children takes more than constantly feeding them. Parents have to teach, advise and impart wisdom through actual words. It's rather predictable then that the bond between mother and child is broken when there is nothing else but food holding it together as he reaches adolescence and cherishes his friends instead.It's great that Bao is directed by the first female Asian director. One definitely for all the feminism empowerment and cultural diversity going around. Ironically though, Bao shows stereotypical male chauvinism - the husband watches TV while the wife prepares the meal and he wolfs it down and leaves without any gesture of gratitude. The husband has no part in child-rearing nor provide her with any comfort with her empty nest feelings. In trying to share her own childhood experience, Shi has revealed the not so positive behaviours of Chinese people such as the mum eating her dumpling son in desperation - this created a stunned silence in the cinema I was at - which seem to confirm that Chinese people will consume anything.The animation is great with close attention to detail. But the plot, aside from being bizarre, also borrowed from Ponyo and coincidentally from Fruit Chan's 2004 movie called Dumplings - a satire about vanity and cannibalism. Shi has expressed her wish for big studios to support diverse story tellers. In order for that to continue, she and the other small minority story tellers need to develop new material, not just stick to same cliche formula. And lastly, it shouldn't be about their cultural experience or gender that open doors, it should be about pure talent, creativity and honest hard work.