Domee Shi

Domee Shi (/ˈdoʊmi/;[1] Chinese: 石之予; pinyin: Shí Zhīyǔ; born 1989) is a Chinese-born Canadian storyboard artist and director for Pixar since 2011. She has contributed to multiple films, including Inside Out (2015), Incredibles 2 (2018), and Toy Story 4 (2019). Outside of her storyboard career, Shi directed the 2018 short film Bao, becoming the first woman to direct a short film for Pixar.[2] Bao won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards, and also earned nominations for the 43rd Annie Awards, the International Online Cinema Awards, and the Tribeca Film Festival.[3]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Shi.
Domee Shi
Born
Shi Zhiyu 石之予

1989 (age 31–32)
Chongqing, China
NationalityCanadian
Alma materSheridan College
OccupationStoryboard artist, director
Years active2011−present
EmployerPixar Animation Studios (2011-present)
Known forFirst woman to direct a Pixar short
Notable work
Bao (2018)

Early life and education

Shi was born in 1989 in Chongqing, China as an only child before immigrating to Canada at the age of two with her parents.[4] She spent half a year in Newfoundland before moving to Toronto, where she grew up learning about art from her father.[5] She was influenced by her father, who had been a college professor of fine arts and a landscape painter in China.[5][6] About her mother, Shi says that "She's not a super outwardly emotional person," but Shi took a lot of inspiration and guidance from her mom when directing Bao.[7] Shi recalls that "My Chinese mom was always making sure I never wandered away too far, that I was safe." She also states that her favorite dumplings are "the boiled pork and chives dumplings that my mom would make for me growing up."[6] During her childhood, Shi watched many Studio Ghibli and Disney films, which exposed her to Asian cinema and animation.[8][9]

As a high school student, Shi binge-watched anime, read manga, and became the Vice President of her school's anime club.[5] She joined online art communities and uploaded her fan artwork to DeviantArt.[10] This became her first exposure to an environment of like-minded people that helped her establish a network with other artists. "I could follow artists, and I could email them. In the past, you'd have to be in California or know a guy who was friends with this other guy that worked at Disney or something," said Shi.[11] Thus Shi was inspired to enroll at Sheridan College for her post-secondary education.[10]

At Sheridan, Shi studied animation, graduating in 2011.[12] During her second year attending school, she enrolled in a course taught by Nancy Beiman, whose class she credits for her pursuit of storyboarding. Shi created a short film for an assignment during her last year at Sheridan. In 2009, she undertook an internship with Chuck Gammage Animation as a clean-up artist, inbetweener, storyboard artist, and animator.[13]

Career

After graduating, Shi worked briefly as a cartooning instructor with an emphasis on character design and comic book creation.[13] In 2011, she accepted a three-month internship at Pixar as a storyboard artist. This was her second attempt, having initially been turned down by the animation studio and others, such as Disney and DreamWorks. Shi wrote an animated webcomic series titled My Food Fantasies in 2014, in which she drew "outlandish" situations involving food.[14] Shi later said that she developed her interest in writing stories about food while making My Food Fantasies.[15] The first feature film she worked on with Pixar was Inside Out (2015), on which she served as a storyboard artist.[8] After briefly working on The Good Dinosaur, Shi began working on Toy Story 4 in 2015.[10] She also drew storyboards for the 2018 film Incredibles 2, where she worked on a sequence featuring the characters Jack-Jack and Edna Mode.[16]

The short film Bao was developed as a "side-project" before and during Shi's full-time work on Inside Out.[6] Bao, alongside two other projects, was eventually pitched to her mentor, Pete Docter, and Pixar for support.[9] Bao was approved in 2015, making Shi the first woman to direct a short film for the studio.[17] The eight-minute short debuted at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, where it preceded Incredibles 2 in theaters.[18] Shi became the first woman of color to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film when she won for Bao in 2019.[19]

On 8 May 2018, it was reported that Shi is directing a feature film at Pixar.[20] On 26 November 2018, Shi confirmed that she was working on a film at the studio.[21] Shi also said that the film is in early stages of development, with the story still being worked on, and that "[she is] really excited to play in this new 90-minute film format".[21] On 1 January 2019, Shi said that she plans the film to be "entertaining and emotional".[22] On 9 December 2020, Shi's film was announced with the title Turning Red, with the plot also being unveiled.[23]

Influences

Shi is influenced by her father's art, as he was her art teacher while growing up. "Like, I asked him what he thought [of the film] and he said, 'I really liked it, but I also have notes for you.' And I was like, Ah, that's my classic dad."[6]

In an interview with Now Magazine, Shi said that the animated films My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) and Spirited Away (2001) were her influences when creating Bao.[24]

Shi says that most of her ideas come from specific cultures (especially with respect to food) around her. Because audiences started to appreciate other stories with different background and culture after Sanjay's Super Team and Coco, Shi thinks it important to draw upon various sources and background in order to create uniqueness in film.

Filmography

Source:[3][25]

Feature Films
Year Title Director Writer Story Artist Other Notes
2015 Inside Out No No Yes No
The Good Dinosaur No No Yes No
2018 Incredibles 2 No No Yes No
2019 Toy Story 4 No No Yes Yes Senior Creative Team
2020 Onward No No No Yes
Soul No No No Yes
2021 Luca[26] No No No Yes
2022 Turning Red[27][28] Yes TBA No Yes
Lightyear[29] No No No Yes

Short Films
Year Title Director Writer Story Artist Other Notes
2018 Bao Yes Yes Yes No Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Short Film
2019 Purl No No No Yes Voice of Office Ladies
Kitbull No No No Yes Rosana Sullivan's Story Trust

Awards and nominations
Award Year Category Title Result Ref
Annie Awards 2016 Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production Inside Out Nominated [3]
International Online Cinema Awards 2018 Halfway Award Best Animated Film Bao Nominated [3]
Tribeca Film Festival 2018 Best Narrative Short Nominated [3]
Academy Awards 2019 Best Animated Short Film Won [3]

References
  1. "Domee Shi draws inspiration for Bao | Sheridan Ovation" on YouTube
  2. Martin, Rachel (15 June 2018). "In Pixar's First Female-Directed Short, A Dumpling Child Fills An Empty Nest". NPR.org. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  3. "Domee Shi". IMDb. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  4. Knight, Chris (15 June 2018). "Animation is filmmaking in slow motion': How Domee Shi made Bao, Pixar's latest must-see short". National Post. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  5. "Ep. 003: Domee Shi – Pixar Story Artist". The Animated Journey. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  6. "Bringing a dumpling to life: Q&A with Domee Shi, Pixar director of 'Bao' - SupChina". supchina.com. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  7. "Bringing a dumpling to life: Q&A with Domee Shi, Pixar director of 'Bao' - SupChina". supchina.com. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  8. Brown, Tracy. "How 'Bao' director Domee Shi stayed true to her 'weird' idea and created a specifically Asian story - Los Angeles Times". latimes.com. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  9. Liu, Karon (12 June 2018). "Pixar's new animated short pays tribute to moms, Chinese food and Toronto". Toronto Star. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  10. Taylor, Noah H. (15 June 2015). "Pixar Story Artist Domee Shi Interview". DorkShelf. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  11. Roper, Caitlin (24 July 2018). "Domee Shi Thinks Kids Can Handle Dark Stories". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  12. Macabasco, Lisa Wong (20 April 2018). "In Domee Shi's Bao, Food for the Soul From Pixar's First Female Director of a Short Film". Vogue. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  13. "Life After Sheridan: Animator Domee Shi – The Sheridan Sun". sheridansun.sheridanc.on.ca. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  14. Zack, Jessica (20 June 2018). "Pixar's 'Incredibles 2' short preview 'Bao' powered by women – and food". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  15. Rougeau, Michael (19 June 2018). "The Story Behind Bao, Pixar's Cutest Short Film Yet". Gamespot.
  16. Desowitz, Bill (12 June 2018). "'Bao': Pixar Finally Welcomes Female Empowerment into Its Shorts Program". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  17. Chai, Barbara. "She was one of the only women in the story room for 'Inside Out.' Now she's the first woman to direct a Pixar short". MarketWatch. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  18. "Domee Shi Will Be the First Woman to Direct a Pixar Short Film with Bao". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  19. Yglesias, Matthew. "Oscars 2019 milestones: Black Panther and Roma broke boundaries". Vox. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  20. "The Art of Animation". Southwest: The Magazine. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  21. Grobar, Matt (26 November 2018). "The First Woman To Direct An Oscar-Contending Pixar Short, 'Bao's Domee Shi Is On Her Way To First Feature Project". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  22. "The Art of Animation". Southwest: The Magazine. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  23. "Chris Evans to Voice Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's 'Lightyear,' Disney Announces 'Encanto' With Music by Lin-Manuel Miranda". Variety. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  24. Wilner, Norman (15 June 2018). "Toronto-raised Pixar director bows with Bao". Now. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  25. "First-Time Director Domee Shi Takes a 'Bao' in New Pixar Theatrical Short". Animation World Network. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  26. Desowitz, Bill (30 July 2020). "Pixar Sets Summer 2021 Release for Italian Coming-of-Age 'Luca' Feature". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  27. Julie & T.J. (11 December 2020). "Pixar Announces 'Turning Red' Directed by Domee Shi - Coming Spring 2022". Pixar Post. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  28. Julie & T.J. (10 December 2020). "Disney Investor Day 2020 — Pixar Announces Series, Shorts, & 2 Films for 2022 'Turning Red' and 'Lightyear'". Pixar Post. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  29. Julie & T.J. (10 December 2020). "Pixar Announces 'Lightyear' – An Origin Story of the Human Buzz Lightyear – Coming Summer 2022". Pixar Post. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
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