"Baby Bao" is a short film about family love and growth, and it deserves the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
From the moment the Disney and Pixar icons appeared, the guzheng, pipa, erhu and flute played together with strong Chinese-style music. At the beginning of the film, a special music performance is used to make the audience mentally prepared to be brought into a Chinese-style family atmosphere. Next, five close-ups are used to show the process of making the buns by the grandmother. The old grandmother put the buns on the dining table, and showed the grandfather eating the buns in a panoramic view. Looking at the watch, she found that she was running out in a hurry. The director used a close-up to show the birth of Bao Baobao and the grandma's attitude towards Bao Baobao from surprise to joy.
Bao Baobao grew up slowly in the company of grandma. The director used fourteen medium and close-up shots to show Bao Baobao's childhood when she revolved around her grandmother, and then used nine shots to show her adolescence when her grandma went around Bao Baobao. Four close-up shots are used to show that the grandmother did her best to cook a sumptuous dinner for Bao Bao Bao, and in exchange, Bao Bao Bao's disdain and departure. At this time, the director used a very clever composition, with the grandmother as the foreground, the door as the middle scene, and Bao Baobao's friend as the background, which shows that there is always an impassable door between parents and children.
Next, grandma finished the meal alone, and the light in the room dimmed, symbolizing grandma's inner depression. Bao Baobao took his girlfriend home and insisted on leaving, but his grandmother refused. The two were pulling back and forth. At this time, the music became urgent. Grandma swallowed Bao Bao Bao in one bite, and the music stopped abruptly. Grandma crouched on the ground alone and cried, the light dimmed. Grandma was crying alone in the room. The light was extremely dark. Then, Bao Baobao's shadow was reflected on the wall. This is the first point of view of the camera looking at the person at the door from blurred to clear. The two sat on the bed. Before the knot was opened, the light was dim; after the knot was opened, the light became brighter and warmer. At the end of the film, a close-up of a steamed bun is drawn to a happy panorama of the whole family, showing love and warmth.
The characters in "Baby Bao" are also very distinctive. The role of Baozi in the film not only represents an indispensable part of the Chinese breakfast table, but also paved the way for the appearance of the grandmother and son in the latter half.
It symbolizes the growth of grandma's son. Bao Baobao wears glasses and grows a beard from his cute appearance as a child to adolescence. This is a process of growing up, a process of getting farther and farther away from my mother. As a grandma, she is a mother to Bao Baobao and her son. Whether it is her son's ignorance or his return after maturity, she is a companion. Grandma's eyes have always been drooping, and they will only open when Bao Bao is in trouble. It is precisely because of this that she lives an empty-nest life with no children by her side, and Bao Baobao's appearance makes her feel the long-lost family affection. But precisely because of this, the pain is more obvious. Grandma swallowed Bao Bao Bao with tears, and curled up on the floor alone, fragile and uneasy. Grandma's son came back at this time, and the two sat by the bed, picked up their once-favorite snacks and cuddled together to eat.
Why do you say this film is about family and growth? Family is about son and mother, and growing up is about moving away from mother and then returning to family. Growing up is painful, whether it's a son or a mother. In fact, this film shows what we have experienced, so it can move people even more. So this animated short is undoubtedly the brightest star in this year's Oscars.
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