A Year in Shorts Day 85: "Sanjay's Super Team"

In recent years, Pixar has been making a slow but concerted effort to bring in more diverse voices behind the scenes. While it is undeniable that Pixar has achieved a level of critical and commercial success that would be the envy of most studios, it’s not wrong to point out that the vast majority of their work has been the brainchild of a bunch of straight white guys. Still, Pixar is trying to move in the right direction with both their features and their shorts. And it arguably all began in 2015 with Sanjay Patel’s Sanjay’s Super Team.


(via Wikipedia)


Released in theaters alongside The Good Dinosaur, a film I'm sure most of you forgot existed until right now, Sanjay's Super Team is based on Patel's own experiences growing up as a first generation American. It tells the story of a young boy and his father struggling to connect, with the father wanting his son to be interested in their tradition while Sanjay only cares about superheroes. So not at all relatable to contemporary Americans.


(via TV Tropes)


Speaking as someone who has always had a complex and often contradictory relationship with their own cultural identity, I've always found movies like this very interesting and moving. And while I think Sanjay's Super Team is not an exceptional short, there's still a lot to like about it. The animation is gorgeous, especially its use of colors, which might be some of the most visually striking work Pixar has ever done. And it all comes together in a nicely understated and heartwarming conclusion. You might not cry while watching it, but I defy you not to at least be a little bit moved.


(via The Telegraph)


When I saw Sanjay's Super Team in theaters, I wasn't too impressed. I thought it was fine but forgettable. But watching it again made me appreciate it more, and I advise anyone who was in the same boat to do the same. If I had any real complaint about it, it would be that the film could honestly be better served by being longer. Maybe even a feature. It certainly would have been a bit more memorable than The Good Dinosaur.


Keep up with the Oscar Baiting here on Letterboxd!


"Sanjay's Super Team" is available to watch on Disney +


The Great Oscar Baiter is a not-for-profit work of criticism. All images herein are property of their respective owners and are protected under Fair Use.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Song of the Week #15: "Take My Breath Away"

Image
I’ll put myself on a consistent schedule for these things one day, I promise. In my defense, there are a lot of movies to catch up on, and isn’t that what Oscar Baiting is all about? For instance- until recently, I’d never seen the original Top Gun! But with Top Gun: Maverick holding its spot as the biggest hit of the year (probably only to be dethroned by Black Panther or Avatar ) and even potentially soaring into the obligatory crowd pleaser Best Picture slot, I figured it was time to see where things began. Because while the Oscars Top Gun: Maverick may win have yet to be decided, the first Top Gun only went home with one- for the love theme, “Take My Breath Away.” (via Wikipedia) Love themes for films have gone a bit out of style these days, although for a long time it seemed to be a surefire way to nab a Best Song nomination. Seriously, look through the Wikipedia article and count how many times you see "Title Seemingly Chosen at Random (Love Theme from Movie You Didn...
Read more

Song of the Week #6: "The Ballad of High Noon"

Image
I was finally able to catch Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast this weekend, and I have to say it certainly lived up to the hype. There’s a lot to love about this movie, from the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, the exquisite performances from both the seasoned veterans and newcomers in the cast, to a script that’s brimming with heart and humor. But one aspect of the film I don’t see a lot of people mention is the way it incorporates footage from other films- most notably Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon, using not only a scene from the movie itself but scoring two pivotal scenes with the film’s theme song, the aptly-named (and Oscar-winning) “The Ballad of High Noon.” It was a bold choice to be sure, but who could blame Branagh? It’s a great movie, and a great song- and the subject for today’s installment in Song of the Week. (via Wikipedia) For those of you haven't seen High Noon... well, you really should get on that, it's a classic! Aside from being a taut, tightly edited thril...
Read more

Song of the Week #14- "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"

Image
I was watching Belfast with my friend last week, and- like all great films- it raised a lot of questions. Questions like, “Hey, remember the last time I watched Belfast and was inspired to write a blog post because of it ?” and “Hey, why haven’t I written anything Oscar Bait related in a while?” Well, luckily for all of us “The Ballad of High Noon” wasn’t the only Oscar-nominated song featured in Belfast. Unluckily for us, that other song just happens to be “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” (via Wikipedia) Readers of this blog will hopefully remember that I love a good movie musical. Sadly, those were few and far between in the 1960s. Oh sure, movie musicals certainly had a brief resurgence in those days. Many of them were big hits, both critically and commercially. Hell, Best Picture went to a musical on four separate occasions in that decade! But how many of them were actually any good? Not a lot. Oh sure, The Music Man is great fun and Mary Poppins is a classic. But far too many mu...
Read more