Photo: Disney
Cover Photo: Disney

Domee Shi speaks to the media about how a casual side project propelled her into stardom and helped pave the way for women in the animation scene

There are some films that leave a special, enduring effect on viewers thanks to how well they were produced and made. One such show that many of us may recall is a particularly charming Pixar film that was released a couple of years back.

Bao told the story of a Chinese Canadian mother suffering from empty nest syndrome who makes a bao (steamed bun) that comes to life. The mother almost gets a second chance at motherhood before going on to eat the bao in a horrifyingly dark but deep ending.

Spotlighting the relationship between Asian parents and their children, the short would go on to be the catalyst that propelled director Domee Shi into stardom. Bao would also end up being the project that would give rise to the 2022 coming-of-age Pixar feature film Turning Red

“I was still a storyboard artist when the idea for Bao came about. I came up with the story in my spare time and initially, I just wanted to make it a short film just for myself with my own tools,” Shi said at a roundtable interview in Singapore. The director was here for the Singapore Film Society’s Animation Nation festival and was conducting interviews and talks during her time here. 

Don’t miss: Song Joong-Ki on Filming ‘Reborn Rich’ in Turkey, His Favourite Scene and Why He Doesn’t Envy the Ultra-Wealthy

“I had all my drawings and stories and everything but at one point, I hit a creative wall and I decided to ask a few of my coworkers to get their feedback and help on Bao. One of the people I showed it to was Pete Doctor who is the chief creative officer of Pixar,” she continued. “The moment I showed it to him, he was so excited about it. He especially loved the ending where the mum eats the dumpling because he said he had never seen something like that and it was just so weird that it was good.”

With renewed confidence, Shi continued working on Bao. However, she emphasised it was still a side project. “At one point, Pixar did this internal open call for pitches for their next theatrical short film. So if you were an employee, you could sign up and pitch three ideas to a panel of executives, directors and producers,” Shi explained.

“I decided to sign up and I worked super hard and got a lot of feedback. But I think closer to the pitch date, someone suggested that the ending was too weird and dark and I got psyched out. So I decided to change the ending and I pitched that.”

Shi smiled broadly before adding that thankfully, when she did her formal pitch, Doctor was part of the panel. “He literally stood up and was like, that’s not the version you pitched me. He basically gave me a second chance to rework the pitch and come back to them with my original idea.”

For Shi, this was a turning point that proved to her that perhaps, her weirdness was something to embrace instead of hiding away. “I started realising that I shouldn’t be second-guessing myself and that lesson was what really guided me throughout the filming and animating process for Bao when it became a reality.”

“Throughout the process of bringing Bao to life, we were constantly getting feedback from other employees, from the test screenings that were happening. So you’re getting notes from everybody and you have to figure out: ‘OK, what is my north star? What are the notes I ignore and the ones I target?’. Bao really taught me that.”

The lessons certainly served Shi well especially when she became the first woman to direct a short film at Pixar and the first woman with a sole director’s credit on a feature film for the studio after the release of Turning Red in March this year. 

The Disney+ exclusive feature film followed an Asian teenager, Mei, who one day, finds herself transformed into a giant red panda. Mei then has to navigate life and her changing relationships with her friends and family as she tries to control her panda side.

“This was Pixar’s first movie that was led by an all-female leadership and so I think we all looked towards our own life experiences,” Shi said. “We didn’t want to shy away from anything just because it was embarrassing or awkward and confusing. We wanted to shine a light on [these experiences] and how everyone goes through these things and to normalise it.” Shi was speaking about how the film is a metaphor for puberty.

Of course, being an animated film, many parents were critical of the film when it was released for having what they deemed, too adult themes. However, the criticism was never something Shi was bothered by. “I mean when we were coming up with the story, we wanted to just tell the most hilarious, embarrassing, surprising and unique story ever. We would literally sit there and be like, wouldn’t it be so funny if her mum just burst in with a bunch of pads.”

“I think we also didn’t think too much of it because we had all lived this experience before and so had half the world so it didn’t feel like a big deal. I’m just glad that our cute and dorky movie riled so many people up and started so many important conversations.”

It was these elements and this willingness to step out of what was ordinary and expected that really won the hearts of audiences everywhere at the end of the day.

“From the beginning, I felt like the story was universal, even though it was from a very personal place. Everyone has gone through this. Everyone has woken up and not recognised their body, with their hormones and emotions going crazy,” said Shi. 

“Everyone’s had crazy fights with their parents. Everyone’s had obsessions with something. It could be sports, it could be manga or books, anything. They’ve all had those emotions, so I think it was just about really leaning into those emotions that Mei was feeling and that’s how we were able to make the story feel universal to everybody.”

Shi is constantly looking to bring more Asian characters to the screen and redefine the idea of universal stories, a theme that she plans to keep going as she looks ahead to the future of her craft.

“Universal stories don’t have to come from characters that look exactly like you. I grew up with so many movies and TV shows and connected with characters that look nothing like me. And I think right now what we’re seeing is just this redefinition of what universal stories can look like,” she said. 

When asked about what’s next for her, Shi remained tight-lipped even though she did admit that she will be fronting another project for Pixar. 

“I’m still not done with animation. I feel like there’s so much potential to explore the stylisation of animation, especially in the West, in the themes that animation can tackle,” she gushed. “I love the power of animation and the control that I have as a director. To be able to control a character’s eye blink, and control the number of frames and the speed of it, or like a slight furrow of the eyebrows. I love getting into like the nitty gritty detail of that stuff.” 

However, for now, it looks like we will not be getting a series or anything longer than a feature film from her just yet.

“There’s something about the feature film format that I really like. You have 90 minutes to tell a complete story. I like that limitation for myself, whereas I feel like a series can go on for a while. There are some amazing series that I love, but I just love the challenge of being able to fit everything into 90 minutes. I kind of like putting myself in this box so that I can be chaotic in it,” she concluded with a laugh. 

NOW READ

School’s Out: 6 Netflix Shows To Keep the Kids Entertained All Month Long

Food Vlogger Mark Wiens on His New Singapore-Based Show, ‘Food Affair With Mark Wiens’

Exclusive: House Of The Dragon Stars Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy Share Details About Filming the Fantasy Epic

Topics