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After the photo-real wonders of its Oscar-winning “Piper,” Pixar tackled a more abstract animation challenge in its latest short about schoolyard bullying. In “Lou,” which plays in front of “Cars 3,” a pile of lost and found items in a box coalesce into an anthropomorphic character who harasses a bully when he steals from other kids.

Baseballs become Lou’s eyes, a book becomes his mouth, a baseball mitt and slinky become his hand and arm, and a hoodie becomes his body. However, Lou manages to hold together since the objects constantly shift around. The result is a wacky chase around the schoolyard and a surprisingly emotional comeuppance.

“We’re cramming so much stuff into the film that people don’t get a break until [a revelation]

toward the end,” said director Dave Mullins, an animator at Pixar since “Monsters, Inc.” in 2001. He has since worked his way to supervising animator after contributing to “Finding Nemo,...

In August, Pixar is hosting a panel at a computer graphics conference in La. The conference is called the Siggraph (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics). The description for Pixar's panel gives us a hint at what the folks at Pixar have been up to:

“Pixar launched an internal, experimental storytelling initiative to create short films without executive oversight, to explore new creative visions and increase studio opportunities. This talk shares Pixar’s six-month journey of creating seven-minute shorts, with limited resources, amidst the backdrop of a busy studio, juggling multiple feature productions.”

Cartoon Brew reported that the first project produced through this new division is titled Smash and Grab, and is directed by Brian Larsen. Larsen previously worked as Story Supervisor on Brave and Head of Story on the short Piper.

Pixar was built on the revolutionary short films they made and they are always putting out great stuff,...

Stars: Riz Ahmed, Billie Piper, James Floyd, Roshan Seth, Cush Jumbo | Written by Patrick Neate | Directed by Pete Travis

I could watch Riz Ahmed in almost anything, but there are limits, tested here by this deeply mediocre British mystery thriller. Adapted by Patrick Neate from his 2005 novel, City of Tiny Lights is helmed by Pete Travis, who in 2012 nearly rescued Judge Dredd from comic book movie hell. But while Travis transposes some of Dredd’s style, he cannot bring its boldness, humour or efficiency.

Ahmed plays Tommy Akhtar, a “snoop” who is so underground that even his job description is unclear. Basically, he’s a private detective. One day he’s visited by a working woman named Melody (Cush Jumbo). Her flatmate is missing. Tommy investigates and finds the body of a Pakistani businessman. It’s a discovery that will bring him into close contact with two blasts from his...

While Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory didn’t make a splash at this year’s Academy Awards, the studio did take home a trophy for the short film attached that was attached to it, Alan Barillaro’s adorable Piper. Now the company has released its latest short, Dante’s Lunch, which serves as a nice introduction to the determined, long-tongued dog that will appear in Pixar’s […]

The post Watch: Pixar Short ‘Dante’s Lunch’ Introduces Us to the Determined Dog from ‘Coco’ appeared first on /Film.

In one of the biggest shocks in Academy Awards history, the final award of the night, Best Picture, was mistakenly announced.

Moonlight won best picture at the 89th Oscars after La La Land was erroneously reported announced as the winner.

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway read La La Land right after Emma Stone won best actress for her role in the modern-day musical. After the cast took the stage, a producer for La La Land corrected things and said, “[Actually] ‘Moonlight’ is the winner … this is not a joke.”

The La Times exclusively spoke to best picture presenter Warren Beatty backstage after the history-making mistake that briefly awarded La La Land the honor instead of rightful winner Moonlight and the legendary director explained what happened onstage.

“I looked down at the card and thought, ‘This is very strange, because it says best actress.’ Maybe there was a misprint. I don’t know what happened.

“La La Land,” as expected, dominated the Oscar crafts, with Damien Chazelle’s musical valentine taking four awards for cinematography, production design, score, and original song. Still, it was predicted to win at least three more.

And it was a great night for Disney and its trio of winners: the zeitgeist-grabbing “Zootopia” (animated feature), Disney Animation’s third Oscar in four years, which trumpeted tolerance ahead of the Presidential election; Alan Barillaro’s fine-feathered “Piper” (animated short), Pixar’s R&D sculpting project that ended its 15-year shorts drought; and Jon Favreau’s “The Jungle Book” (VFX), which innovated photographic-based realism. The award was shared by production VFX supervisor Rob Legato, Mpc’s VFX supervisor Adam Valdez, Weta Digital’s VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon, and Andrew R. Jones, the animation supervisor.

In winning his third Oscar, Legato expanded a live-action ethos for believably integrating virtual characters and environments (created by...

Tonight is Hollywood's big night, with the 89th Oscars being broadcast live on ABC tonight, starting at 8 Pm Et/5 Pm Pt. We'll be watching the awards being handed out live and updating this full list of winners as the telecast goes on. Jimmy Kimmel hosts this year's Oscar telecast, with La La Land currently the front runner to take home many of the major awards.

Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories - actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees. Active members of the Academy are eligible to vote for the winners in all 24 categories beginning Monday, February 13 through Tuesday, February 21.

Leading the way for this year's awards...

Moonlight claimed the top prize at Sunday’s 89th Academy Awards in a dramatic finale.Full list of winnersBEST Motion Picture Of The YEARArrivalFencesHacksaw RidgeHell Or High WaterHidden FiguresLionLa La LandManchester By The SeaMoonlightPERFORMANCE By An Actress In A Leading ROLEIsabelle Huppert, ElleRuth Negga, LovingNatalie Portman, JackieEmma Stone, La La LandMeryl Streep, Florence Foster JenkinsPERFORMANCE By An Actor In A Leading ROLECasey Affleck, Manchester By The SeaDenzel Washington, FencesRyan Gosling, La La LandAndrew Garfield, Hacksaw RidgeViggo Mortensen, Captain FantasticBEST DIRECTORDamien Chazelle, La La LandBarry Jenkins, MoonlightKenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The SeaDenis Villeneuve, ArrivalMel Gibson, Hacksaw RidgeADAPTED SCREENPLAYArrival, Eric HeissererFences, August WilsonHidden Figures, Allison Schroeder and Theodore MelfiLion, Luke DaviesMoonlight, Screenplay by Barry Jenkins; Story by Tarell Alvin McCraneyORIGINAL SCREENPLAYHell Or High Water, Taylor SheridanLa La Land, Damien ChazelleThe Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis FilippouManchester By The Sea, Kenneth Lonergan20th Century Women, Mike MillsACHIEVEMENT In Music Written For Motion Pictures (Original Song)‘Audition (The Fools Who Dream)’ from...

Sunday’s 89th Academy Awards are underway at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in a popular adapted screenplay win for Moonlight as the drama earned its second win of the night.

Moments earlier Kenneth Lonergan accepted the original screenplay award for Manchester By The Sea in the film’s first prize. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon – winners of this award for Good Will Hunting 19 years ago – presented the honour to Lonergan. Damon was a producer on the film.

Meryl Streep used her Oscar show platform to pay subtle homage to the unifying power of film when she joined Javier Bardem on stage at the Dolby Theatre to present the cinematography award.

“Truth is hard to reveal,” Streep said, “but when it happens on the movie screen filmgoers no matter where they are from, feel their hearts soar.”

Sweden’s [link...

In the week leading up to the 89th Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a series of public programs celebrating this year’s nominees in the Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Foreign Language Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Animated and Live Action Short Film categories. All events will be held at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Wamg attended the annual AMPAS reception featuring the 2016 Oscar nominated films in the Animated and Live-Action Short Film categories. The program featured screenings of all the nominated films in these categories, plus an onstage discussion with the filmmakers.

The evening was hosted by director Tim Miller (Deadpool), who himself was nominated in the Animated Short category in 2005 (Gopher Broke). In his opening comments, a clearly emotional Miller spoke about shorts being, for most filmmakers, a labor of love rather than a means to getting awards and accolades.

MaryAnn’s quick take… My pick: “Pearl” [pictured], blending new Vr tech with old-fashioned characters and emotions, demonstrating storytelling possibilities that are beginning to open up. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

The lessons and legacies parents pass on to their children. The dangers of not living in the present… or living too much in the present. These are the motifs woven through the five short animated films nominated for the Oscar this year.

“Pearl” is a lovely sketch of the creative bond between a father and daughter.

My favorite, and the one I’d like to see win, is “Pearl” [IMDb], from Disney animator Patrick Osborne (Big Hero 6), who won in this category two years ago with his delightful “Feast.” A lovely sketch of a relationship between a father and daughter from their rough early...

Alan Baraillaro has worked with Pixar for over ten years and is now nominated for his animated short film, Piper. Short but very sweet, Piper delivers a charming dialogue-free tale...

“It’s very surreal,” admits director Alan Barillaro as we chat via webcam (watch above) about his Oscar nomination for the animated short film “Piper.” “There’s been wonderful films made this year, so you’re just really proud to be among them.” The Pixar-produced short, which played in front of the studio’s summer release “Finding Dory,” centers on a baby […]...

Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’re reviewing each short category. See the Animation section below and the other shorts sections here.

Blind Vaysha – Canada – 8 minutes

I did a double take upon hearing Theodore Ushev‘s name alongside his animated short Blind Vaysha during the Oscar nominations because I’ve watched his work progress the past five years. This Canadian by way of Bulgaria is a Toronto International Film Festival staple, a guy who alters his aesthetic with every new project. Whether rotoscoping, hybridizing Cubism and Constructivism, or dabbling in Abstract Expressionism, though, you always know it’s an Ushev film because of its content and craftsmanship. His latest is no different, the adoption of woodcutting lending an old school storybook feel to a tale that speaks towards today’s climate of hope and despair. Narrated by Caroline Dhavernas, Vaysha’s story begs us to open our eyes and see...

It’s been 15 years since Pixar won the Oscar for Ralph Eggleston’s”For the Birds,” and it has another fine-feathered gem in Alan Barillaro’s “Piper” that’s getting lots of buzz (watch the clip below).

In “Piper,” a baby sandpiper overcomes a fear of water as part of her rite of passage. But, uncharacteristically, the short began as an R&D project in the tools department to create greater sculpting control for the artists. They used the new RenderMan Ris platform for photoreal shading and lighting (first used on the “Finding Dory” feature).

Read More: Annie Awards: ‘Zootopia,’ ‘The Red Turtle’ Take Animated Feature, Indie Honors

“For me, the goal was to make computer animation more expressive,” Barillaro told IndieWire. “There’s more personal stories we can tell and more visual language we can use with the toolset. How do we tell a story with little birds that’s not anthropomorphized?...

With the 2017 Academy Awards just around the corner, it’s time to race to theaters to see this year’s contenders like La La Land and Hidden Figures. But don’t forget about the often overlooked categories of Best Animated Short and Best Live-Action Short.

Ranging from heartbreaking to inspirational, the nominees in these categories are worth a watch. And the best part? Even with 10 films to watch, it’s not a big time commitment!

Find out how to watch the projects ahead of the Feb. 26 award ceremony.

How to Watch Animated Short Film Nominees:

Blind Vaysha

This short from...

‘Pearl’ (Courtesy: Google Spotlight Stories)

By: Carson Blackwelder

Managing Editor

Those of you who haven’t been taking virtual reality seriously should start doing so right now. For the first time ever, the Oscars have nominated a Vr film, which means the filmmaking style is officially taking hold and is undoubtedly here to stay — at least for the time being. Pearl has snagged a nomination in the best animated short category and stands a chance at winning big. Let’s take a look at what this moment means for the future of Vr and how it stands against the competition.

Pearl — a 2016 film by Google Spotlight Story and Evil Eye Pictures — tells the story of a girl and her dad chasing their dreams as they cross the United States in an old hatchback, their makeshift home, named Pearl. Music, created by both the father and daughter, is at the center...

It’s been 16 years since Pixar won the Oscar for best animated short (Ralph Eggleston’s “For the Birds”). Wouldn’t it be fitting if Alan Barillaro’s fine-feathered “Piper” ended the drought? That would give Pixar four Oscars (alongside Geri’s Game” and “Tin Toy”).

However, “Piper” faces stiff competition, particularly from Theodore Ushev’s much darker “Blind Vaysha” from the National Film Board of Canada, which has earned a dozen Oscars.

The other three contenders range from Robert Valley’s bleak “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” (Vimeo’s first Oscar nom), the melancholy Western, “Borrowed Time” (made independently by Pixar’s Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj), and the introspective “Pearl” from Oscar winner Patrick Osborne (Disney’s “Feast”), the first Vr nominee from Google Spotlight Stories.

“Piper”

The rite of passage for the adorable sand piper continues a long Pixar tradition of incubating innovative tech in its shorts program.

The nominations for the 89th Academy Awards are in and La La Land leads the pack with 14 nominations! I knew La La Land was going to explode at this event, and it's probably going to end up taking home many of the awards is was nominated for. The 14 nominations ties the record with 1997's Titanic and 1950's All About Eve.

Arrival ended up with eight nominations as did Moonlight, while Hacksaw Ridge, Lion, and Manchester by the Sea all got six. Deadpool ended up with zero nominations. I was hoping to see it somewhere on the list, but it looks like all that hype didn't work.

Every film and actor who was nominated for their work deserves to be on this list, so congratulations to them all! There are so many great films and actors to root for, but there can be only one winner in each category.

Jimmy Kimmel...

This year a record 69 animated short films vied for an Oscar nomination, with ten making the shortlist, and five final nominations.

For six years, Disney or Pixar has been nominated in the category every year, and won twice (“Paperman” and “Feast”). This year Pixar’s “Piper,” from Alan Barillaro (“Wall·E,” “Brave,” “Finding Nemo”), could mark a Pixar win for the first time since Ralph Eggleston’s “For the Birds” 15 years ago. That would give Pixar four Oscars (alongside Geri’s Game” and “Tin Toy”).

Read more: Oscars 2017 Animated Shorts: Will ‘Piper’ End Pixar’s 15-Year Drought?

However, “Piper” faces stiff competition, particularly from Theodore Ushev’s much darker “Blind Vaysha” from the National Film Board of Canada, which has earned a dozen Oscars. The other three contenders range from Robert Valley’s bleak “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” (Vimeo’s first Oscar nom), the melancholy Western, “Borrowed Time” (made independently...

This year a record 69 animated short films vied for an Oscar nomination, with ten making the shortlist.

For six years, Disney or Pixar has been nominated in the category every year, and won twice (“Paperman” and “Feast”). This year both studios have films on the shortlist, “Inner Workings” (Disney) and “Piper” (Pixar). Other animated shorts included in the 10 are Robert Valley’s “Pear Cider and Cigarettes,” Franck Dion’s “The Head Vanishes” and Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj’s “Borrowed Time.”

Read More: 2017 Oscars: Record 70 Animated Shorts Vie for Shortlist of Ten

After December screenings in La, NY, London and San Francisco, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members selected five nominees to be announced on Tuesday, January 24.

The 10 animated short films, along with their production companies and trailer, are below in alphabetical order:

Frontrunners

“Blind Vaysha,” Theodore Ushev, director (National Film Board of Canada)

“Borrowed Time,” Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj,...

A Pixar animator whose first credits include A Bug’s Life and Monsters, Inc., Alan Barillaro moved into the director’s chair with Piper, an animated short from Pixar, which landed on the Oscar Shortlist for Best Animated Short. Based on Barillaro’s own experiences as a parent, and as an admirer of sandpipers chirping on Bay Area shores, the short film follows a baby bird who must face the wonder and danger inherent in nature, overcoming her own fears in order to survive…...

This year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had a record 69 animated short films vying for a nomination. Now the 10 titles that will advance in the voting process for the 89th Academy Awards have been announced.

For six years, Disney or Pixar has been nominated in the category every year, and won twice (“Paperman” and “Feast”). This year both studios have films on the shortlist, “Inner Workings” (Disney) and “Piper” (Pixar). Other animated shorts included in the 10 are Robert Valley’s “Pear Cider and Cigarettes,” Franck Dion’s “The Head Vanishes” and Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj’s “Borrowed Time.”

Read More: 2017 Oscars: Record 70 Animated Shorts Vie for Shortlist of Ten

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles. Screening of each will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.

The final five will be announced,...

This year the Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation branch has deemed eligible a record 70 animated shorts to vie for the shortlist of ten, followed by the final five nominations for the Oscar. That’s 10 more than last year’s 60.

The number of qualified shorts has been growing steadily, from 33 in 2010 to 58 in 2014.

Members of the branch who volunteer to serve will now view the shorts and rate the films. The ten best-rated shorts will go on the shortlist, to be revealed in November. A larger group will check those out and cull the final five which will be announced on Tuesday, January 24. The shorts will be sent to the entire Academy, who will vote on the winner.

Cartoon Brew got hold of the list of qualified contenders, and assesses what they consider to be the best of the best, including trailers. The Academy has not released that list.

This year the Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation branch has deemed eligible a record 70 animated shorts to vie for the shortlist of ten, followed by the final five nominations for the Oscar. That’s 10 more than last year’s 60.

The number of qualified shorts has been growing steadily, from 33 in 2010 to 58 in 2014.

Members of the branch who volunteer to serve will now view the shorts and rate the films. The ten best-rated shorts will go on the shortlist, to be revealed in November. A larger group will check those out and cull the final five which will be announced on Tuesday, January 24. The shorts will be sent to the entire Academy, who will vote on the winner.

Cartoon Brew got hold of the list of qualified contenders, and assesses what they consider to be the best of the best, including trailers. The Academy has not released that list.

With “Finding Dory,” Pixar created quite a Rukus. That’s the acronym for the three biggest benchmarks in rendering, lighting and application management, which accounted for water and glass looking so rich in Pixar’s newest animated offering, along with the ability to animate Hank (Ed O’Neill), the complex octopus.

But, as always, according to Ed Catmull — unofficially the Yoda of Pixar, officially the president of Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios — it remains a culture of gradual change to further better storytelling and aesthetics.

Read More: How Andrew Stanton Found the Right Path for ‘Finding Dory’

“The approach we still take is that we systematically keep trying to improve something every single film. We have to evolve, we have to change, and in order to do that, we have to initiate the change,” Catmull emphasized.

At Pixar, there’s a development team that works independently of...

If you’re planning to go see “Finding Dory” this weekend, Pixar has a bonus treat in store for you. In keeping with the tradition they have built since their inception, the studio is opening their “Finding Nemo” sequel with a short film that allows animators to jump in the director’s chair and try some more experimental fare. This summer’s offering is “Piper,” a six-minute short from veteran animator Alan Barillaro that features the a gorgeous setting and the most adorable protagonist in any Pixar short — possibly ever. As you can see in the clip above, “Piper” features...

The ocean is a big, diverse setting for a movie, consisting as it does of environments both brutal and beautiful. In Finding Nemo, one of its most celebrated films, Pixar leveraged both this natural grandeur and its own technical prowess to fill an unadorned narrative with moments of nearly overpowering presence. It was the story of a father looking for his lost son, festooned with all of the small moral lessons about growing up and letting go and the power of love. It was simple, but the world it brought to life made the film special.

In a quest to invert everything about its progenitor — perhaps as a way to inoculate itself against accusations of pointlessness — Finding Dory doesn’t just trade a searching parent for a searching child, but also swaps the big blue sea for a Marine Life Institute. Given the technological leaps and bounds that the company has made in the intervening years and what impact the few open water scenes still deliver, it’s a bizarre choice, one of many that keep this film from being great and forcing it instead to settle for merely fine.

The major hindrance that Finding Dory must overcome is its choice of a protagonist. In Nemo, Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), an adorable blue tang that struggled with short-term memory loss, was a comedic sidekick. Her addle-minded lack of focus and boundless optimism served as both a barricade and boon in Marlin’s (Albert Brooks) search for his son. It was a character trait that created conflict but also lead to many triumphant moments of victory for the character and that story. Here, it becomes a major plot point — the driving mechanism of the entire story — and the focus of many, many conversations about respecting and finding value in disability.

A year after the events of Finding Nemo, Dory is living with Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (Brooks again) under a piece of brain coral next to their anemone. Following a close call involving a dangerous undertow that jogs her memory of her family, Dory decides she must set off in order to find the mother and father she can’t remember forgetting. One would think this is a chance to visit some deep-water environments left out of the last picture, but the narrative goes in a very different direction.

Dory, Marlin, and Nemo cross the entirety of the Pacific Ocean in a single, cameo-filled scene and arrive on the coast of California when Dory is suddenly snatched up by a pair of marine biologists who believe she is in distress. From there she is taken into the Marine Life Institute, a research and rescue center for sea creatures that also functions as a theme park. Believing the park holds her parents, Dory teams up with a traumatized octopus in order to search the many exhibits. Meanwhile, Marlin and Nemo attempt breaking into the quarantine zone to find their friend.

This setup creates a dual narrative that embraces the best parts of espionage and heist films. However, both of those genre types value briskness of narrative and intricacy of action, so the usual Pixar touch of character and heart has to be crammed in at the margins. Dory has a series of flashbacks that fill in her backstory and layer on emotional notes to an otherwise frenetic narrative melody, but, in general, relationships from the story’s start are unchanged by film’s end. The narrative-mandated internal conflict revolves around Marlin insulting Dory’s memory (her ability to remember, not the memory of her) but they are separated so soon after the initial slight that the tension never takes off. When it comes time for Dory to be told that her memory problem makes her unique and special and valuable, it feels less like an earned moment and more like an obligation to be filled. It’s especially disingenuous given how certain other characters who are less anthropomorphic are treated, with the entirety of their screentime serving as a series of cheap punchlines.

The good news is that the newest additions to the cast, one-dimensional as they are, make up for most (if not all) of these plot and story deficiencies. Idris Elba and Dominic West stage a small Wire reunion as two seals who know all there is to know about the Mli, but who also excitedly protect their lounging rock. Ty Burrell and Kaitlin Olson lend their voices to a bantering beluga whale and near-sighted whale shark, respectively, making for an important duo in assisting our forgetful lead while grappling with their own self-confidence issues.

The star, though, is Hank, a sneakily capable but guarded octopus who wants to use Dory’s plight to get himself out of having to be returned to the ocean. As voiced by Ed O’Neill, Hank is a fantastic dramatic and comedic presence, the kind of damaged, grizzled hero that plays as a perfect foil to Dory’s impish eagerness. They’re a great team, and their dynamic is much more interesting to observe than a simple retread of the Marlin-Dory dynamic we saw in Nemo.

Everything is gorgeously rendered, of course, and directors Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane stage some thrilling and inventive action scenes. There’s a plethora of visual jokes on top of the creative solutions fish use to navigate dry land. From a technical perspective, this animation is everything one could hope for from the studio that gave us a number of classic animations in this new millennium.

It’s a shame that the emotional and narrative aspects can’t keep pace with these leaps in technology. In terms of emotional complexity and character evolution, Finding Dory treads the same water as its predecessor with less success. It’s a fine technological update and not a particularly inspired storytelling upgrade.

(Note: Alan Barillaro‘s short film, Piper, plays before Finding Dory. This may be the most accomplished short Pixar has ever produced. It tells, with elegant economy and wordless grace, the story of a hatchling sand piper learning to navigate the shore to find food. Photo-realistic and filmed with a shallow focus that makes the sand piper’s relatively tiny world seem overwhelming, this short is everything a Pixar fan could want. It sets a new benchmark for visual storytelling in a computer-generated environment while also delivering laughs and heart. Honestly, if you’re so-so on the idea of Dory, Piper is more than enough to tip that ambivalence into a firm “yes.”)

Finding Dory opens on Friday, June 17.

If you’re like me, you enjoy Pixar’s animated short films almost as much as you do their features. The latest short from the Emeryville-based animation studio is Alan Barillaro‘s directing debut Piper, which in my opinion might be the best theatrical short film from Pixar in a decade. I first saw this short film at […]

The post Watch the First Footage From ‘Piper’, Pixar’s Best Animated Short Film in a Decade appeared first on /Film.

Back in April, we got our first look at the new Pixar animated short Piper, which will be attached to theatrical prints of the studio's animated sequel Finding Dory when it hits theaters this weekend. With just a few more days left until this short is unveiled, the first clip has surfaced, featuring the title character in action. This brief scene shows how tough it is for a young sandpiper to find food along a crowded beach.

The story centers on a baby sandpiper who is trying to both find food, and overcome hydrophobia, the fear of water. Longtime Pixar animator Alan Barillaro makes his directorial debut with this short film, which was inspired by the numerous birds he used to observe while running along the shoreline, just a mile from Pixar's Emeryville, California headquarters. While this short marks Alan Barillaro's directorial debut, he has worked as a Pixar animator for nearly two decades.

Alan Barillaro first joined Pixar to work on 1998's A Bug's Life. He also worked on Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-e, Brave and Monsters University, along with the shorts Jack-Jack Attack, Igor and Lifted. The first-time director revealed in April that he originally started toying with the character as a test, but he was encouraged to keep working on the project by his mentor, Finding Dory director Andrew Stanton. Here's what Alan Barillaro had to say about working with his mentor back in April.

"You always want to show directors, 'Hey, are these cool tools you'd like to use to make films?' So I showed Andrew the Piper tests thinking I was very much just showing him a test, but he kept poking at me, like, 'It's a cool test, but keep working on that story.' And then John [Lasseter] did the same. There's remarkable encouragement at Pixar that when you think of an innovative idea, don't forget the story. It was their encouragement or else I would have stopped at the test phase."

Since the short film is just six minutes long, and it hits theaters in just a few short days, it seems unlikely we'll get any more footage from Piper. The short film will most likely be included on the Finding Dory home video release later next year. While we wait for both Finding Dory and Piper to hit theaters in just a few short days, take a look at this clip below courtesy of Youtube.

It's always exciting to see the latest short film in front of the latest Pixar film. They are consistently just as engaging and endearing as the feature film itself. Playing before Pixar's Finding Dory opening this month is a short film called Piper, about a little baby sandpiper bird looking for food on the beach. Explaining the style to THR, director Alan Barillaro said: "I love the painterly aspects of macro photography; the textures almost becomes a characters. I want to see computer animation fall into that world where lenses, just like in live action photography, can have a lot of expression." Disney released a short clip to tease the short. Enjoy. Here's the first look footage for Pixar's new short film Piper, direct from Disney's YouTube: In Pixar Animation Studios' new short, Piper, a hungry sandpiper hatchling discovers that finding food without mom’s help isn’t so easy. "This is a story about overcoming your fears, as well as the parent aspect ...

Pixar’s “Finding Dory,” the sequel to their 2003 film “Finding Nemo,” will soon enter theaters and the early buzz has been very positive. IndieWire’s own David Ehrlich described the film as Pixar’s “best sequel in years,” and said that it would give a whole new generation of kids the idea that sequels “aren’t de facto cash-ins, but rather films that are capable of retroactively adding new dimensions to beloved originals.”

But preceding “Finding Dory” will be Pixar’s latest short film “Piper,” directed by Alan Barillaro, about a hungry baby sandpiper struggling with hydrophobia. Watch a clip from “Piper” above featuring the sandpiper in question trying to pick up bubbles with his beak.

Read More: ‘Finding Dory’ Review Roundup: Critics Agree Pixar’s Newest Sequel Is a Delight

Pixar Animation Studios has released some of the most acclaimed animated films over the last twenty years. Some of their titles include “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “The Incredibles,” “Wall-e,” “Up,” and most recently, “Inside Out,” which took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature last year. Pixar’s shorts have played a key role in the studio’s history, with many of the early shorts showcasing then groundbreaking innovations in computer animation. A new Pixar short has preceded every one of their features since their second film “A Bug’s Life.” Their shorts “Tin Toy,” “Geri’s Game,” and “For the Birds” have all won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

“Finding Dory” will be released nationwide on July 17.

Read More: How Innovative Pixar Short ‘Piper’ Got Sculpted

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Related stories'Finding Dory' Review Roundup: Critics Agree Pixar's Newest Sequel Is a DelightReview: 'Finding Dory' Is A Compelling Argument In Defense Of SequelsHow Innovative Pixar Short 'Piper' Got Sculpted...

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Get a taste of Pixar's adorable new short film, Piper, right here...

We’re loathed to use the word ‘exclusive’ on this, as the way the internet works is we’ll post this clip, and then it’ll appear in other places within a minute or two. Can we say, then, that it’s sort of pretend exclusive? Will that do?

Either way, it’s always a delight to get our hands on a clip from a new Pixar short. Piper is the brief film that will play before Finding Dory later this summer, and its official synopsis reads…

Directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer, “Piper,” the new short from Pixar Animation Studios, tells the story of a hungry sandpiper hatchling who ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is, the food is buried beneath the sand where scary waves roll up onto the shore. “Piper” will debut in UK cinemas with “Finding Dory” on July 29, 2016.

And, without further ado, here’s the clip…

More on Piper and Finding Dory as we get it...

Movies Trailer Den Of Geek Piper 13 Jun 2016 - 16:00 Pixar Finding Dory...

See Full Gallery Here

It’s a Pixar tradition that sits right up there alongside the Pizza Planet Truck, A113 and the iconic Luxo Ball – the beloved animated short that comes tethered with each new release.

For Inside Out, we had Lava; Toy Story 3 heralded the arrival of Day and Night; while The Good Dinosaur introduced the world to Sanjay’s Super Team. Now, it is (almost) Finding Dory‘s turn to usher in a new bite-sized yarn.

Set to make a beeline for theaters on June 17, it’s been revealed that Andrew Stanton’s long-anticipated sequel will be accompanied by Piper, the cutesy animation that “tells the story of a hungry sandpiper hatchling who ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline.”

Pixar stalwart Alan Barillaro will make his directorial debut with Piper, chronicling the tale of the spirited sandpiper that...

Disney Pixar have just released a two new images for the short film that will sit in front of the sequel to the 2003 classic Finding Nemo; Finding Dory which is released in the UK 29th July. Piper is 6 minutes long and is directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer. It tells the story of a […]

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