Bao
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Bao

2018 0h 8m ★ 7.6 (1,276 votes) Released

An aging Chinese mother suffering from empty nest syndrome gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life as a lively, giggly dumpling boy.

Director

Domee Shi

Writer

Domee Shi

Rating
7.6
Runtime
8 min

Production

Pixar Pixar

Top Billed Cast

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Audience Reviews

C
CinemaSerf
★ 7/10 Jul 27, 2025

I thought there was a little bit of a culinary “Tom Thumb” to this as a couple pining for a child get their wish when one of their freshly steamed dumplings springs to life. It’s a lively, curious and mischievous little wrap that gets itself into all sorts of scrapes as it becomes used to human society. Thing is, though, as it becomes older and more confident, it wants to get friends of it’s own - maybe even get a girlfriend? Just how might how the doting mother cope when she is no longer the only apple in it’s eye? I have to say this is probably the best solution for dealing with recalcitrance I’ve ever seen and the denouement really did make me smile. This animation is really quite charmingly crafted, quickly paced and needs no dialogue to tell it’s story. Good fun.

Keywords

cookingcartooncoming of agechinesewoman directormother son relationshipdumplingshort filmempty nestchinese cuisine

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