Today I went to the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood to see the new Pixar SparkShorts animated short film “Self”, which is currently running after Pixar Animation Studios’ feature-length 2020 entry Soul. Below are my thoughts on this new experimental short, which combines traditional stop-motion animation with CGI to produce a unique look.
“Self” is the story of a wooden doll who finds herself in a world populated exclusively by shiny golden mannequin-like beings, unable to communicate with them because the thud she makes when she taps part of herself does not match the dulcet ringing tones that the other members of this society produce. So one night she looks up into the sky and wishes to change (though this is all told through pantomime with no words actually spoken aloud), and the sky responds by dropping new golden limbs one-by-one for her to swap out with her old one. Soon she finds herself completely transformed and nearly unrecognizable, now able to converse freely with those around her, but having completely lost what made her unique in the first place. She accidentally steps on her old wooden face and has a revelation that she would much rather be… well, her “Self” than match everyone else, though she does manage to retain her ability to express herself after she converts back.
“Self” is a very, very simplistic story with an obvious message– but that’s not a problem considering it’s a short film that runs only a few minutes long. The great part about it is how visually gorgeous it is, merging Pixar’s usual top-shelf computer-generated animation with stop-motion animation provided by Tippett Studio (founded by ex-Industrial Light & Magic pioneer Phil Tippett, who famously brought to life the AT-AT walkers in The Empire Strikes Back, among many other iconic projects). The director of “Self” is relative newcomer Searit Huluf, who has worked in several roles at Pixar and also made the 2019 live-action short “Gamers,” and she’s clearly put a lot of herself and her experience into this animated short, which is what Pixar’s SparkShorts initiative is all about. It’s a good start to a promising career in animation, if she chooses to pursue it, and like “Bao” / Turning Red’s Domee Shi before her, I look forward to seeing what she does next.
As a side note, it was really great seeing Pixar’s Soul on the big screen for the first time– the movie debuted in the winter of 2020 on Disney+, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging and kept us all trapped in our homes. I walked away with a new appreciation for that movie, and for the other Pixar SparkShort that preceded it, “Burrow,” thanks to El Capitan’s state-of-the-art presentation and crystal-clear audio. Below are some photos from my experience this afternoon, and a reminder that Pixar’s 2022 feature Turning Red will also be playing at El Capitan next month.
Pixar’s Soul (along with the SparkShorts “Burrow” and “Self”) will be playing at El Capitan Theater from now through Thursday, January 18th. Be sure to visit the official El Capitan website for additional information and to purchase advance tickets.