Pixar is so synonymous with quality that they've nearly hopped their way into the dictionary definition of the word. Regardless, their preceding short films are ultimately even more reliable (and certainly more daring) than their features - the perfect palate cleanser before the sumptuous main course. In this way, Sanjay's Super Team is an intriguing exception. While its headliner, The Good Dinosaur, supplies glimpses of stunning imagery and the occasional cute bit disappointingly mired in a tiresomely overfamiliar plot and some dubious creative choices, Sanjay is no mere palate cleanser. In only seven minutes, the short vastly outstrips its feature companion (and most of the rest of the year's films to boot) in terms of fun, rampant creativity, inspired thematic depth, and stupendously realized visual flair, all bottled with all the trademark Pixar heart anyone could hope for.
Refreshing as it is to see a culture and religion seldom represented in American cinema headlining a Pixar product, the film's premise is even more courageous. Unafraid to tackle and depict religion (already a tenuous prospect - remember when Frozen rewrites trimmed every mention of the word 'God'? Hurm), Sanjay goes one step further, and toes the line of courting (unwarranted) complaints of appropriation or misuse of religious iconography for cashing in to the super hero craze. Such criticism would utterly miss the point. Instead, director Sanjay Patel has his childhood self reimagine Hindu gods as superheroes for the sake of brilliantly, peerlessly exploring methods of connecting with tradition and making sense of spirituality. It's a remarkably mature and unjudgmental conceit, and equally resonant and conducive to important discussions for children and adults alike. And there's not a note of preachiness - I dare you to find any film unpacking the relationship with religion as energetic or bursting with fun.
The gorgeous, shimmering incarnations of Vishnu, Hanuman, and Durga (breathtakingly blending traditional 2D animation with contemporary 3D work) meld the quirky reworking of tradition of Nina Paley's excellent Sita Sings the Blues with the slick crash-bangery of Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and the result is gleefully choreographed, visually stupendous mayhem. But fun as this divine smash-up is, the tender, subtle scenes between young Sanjay and his father are what really hit home. Rather than dismissing Sanjay's passion for TV superheroes as a "false gods" binary with his father's spiritual worship, Patel is sensitive to the enrapturing appeals of each for different individuals at different stages of life. There's no clichéd climax of Sanjay's father wrathfully banishing his son's 'blasphemous' passion; instead, the image of the father wistfully sighing, defeated, as he returns Sanjay's remote control conveys volumes of nuanced emotional depth feature directors ache to convey. And that's all without mentioning the inevitable denouement which aces the Pixar balance of raw sentiment without an ounce of the saccharine. No, you're crying - shut up.
All this in a seven minute animated prelude brimming with more progressive ideas and heart than arguably any of the year's features - not too shabby indeed. This might seem second nature for the company who made their name tapping into the emotional potential of a lamp, but to see such a uniquely personal and human story brought to life with such bombastic tenderness is arguably more impressive. If Pixar is strapped for sequel bait after the upcoming Cars 3, Toy Story 4, Finding Dory, and The Incredibles 2 (yeesh), I'll certainly be the first in line to watch the full-length rendition of Sanjay's Super Team.
-10/10
Refreshing as it is to see a culture and religion seldom represented in American cinema headlining a Pixar product, the film's premise is even more courageous. Unafraid to tackle and depict religion (already a tenuous prospect - remember when Frozen rewrites trimmed every mention of the word 'God'? Hurm), Sanjay goes one step further, and toes the line of courting (unwarranted) complaints of appropriation or misuse of religious iconography for cashing in to the super hero craze. Such criticism would utterly miss the point. Instead, director Sanjay Patel has his childhood self reimagine Hindu gods as superheroes for the sake of brilliantly, peerlessly exploring methods of connecting with tradition and making sense of spirituality. It's a remarkably mature and unjudgmental conceit, and equally resonant and conducive to important discussions for children and adults alike. And there's not a note of preachiness - I dare you to find any film unpacking the relationship with religion as energetic or bursting with fun.
The gorgeous, shimmering incarnations of Vishnu, Hanuman, and Durga (breathtakingly blending traditional 2D animation with contemporary 3D work) meld the quirky reworking of tradition of Nina Paley's excellent Sita Sings the Blues with the slick crash-bangery of Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and the result is gleefully choreographed, visually stupendous mayhem. But fun as this divine smash-up is, the tender, subtle scenes between young Sanjay and his father are what really hit home. Rather than dismissing Sanjay's passion for TV superheroes as a "false gods" binary with his father's spiritual worship, Patel is sensitive to the enrapturing appeals of each for different individuals at different stages of life. There's no clichéd climax of Sanjay's father wrathfully banishing his son's 'blasphemous' passion; instead, the image of the father wistfully sighing, defeated, as he returns Sanjay's remote control conveys volumes of nuanced emotional depth feature directors ache to convey. And that's all without mentioning the inevitable denouement which aces the Pixar balance of raw sentiment without an ounce of the saccharine. No, you're crying - shut up.
All this in a seven minute animated prelude brimming with more progressive ideas and heart than arguably any of the year's features - not too shabby indeed. This might seem second nature for the company who made their name tapping into the emotional potential of a lamp, but to see such a uniquely personal and human story brought to life with such bombastic tenderness is arguably more impressive. If Pixar is strapped for sequel bait after the upcoming Cars 3, Toy Story 4, Finding Dory, and The Incredibles 2 (yeesh), I'll certainly be the first in line to watch the full-length rendition of Sanjay's Super Team.
-10/10