Sanjay's Super Team

Sanjay's Super Team is a breath of fresh air, not only to Pixar animation, but to all of mainstream animation and certainly to anything generally coming from Disney. This short follows Sanjay, a little boy who is a big fan of superheroes, but not of practicing his religion much to the dismay of his traditional Hindu father. But as the tables turn, Sanjay is thrust into action and the short really takes off into beautifully wild and inspiring action. Through a series of different styles of animation, Sanjay's adventure goes from mundane to epic, bringing with it bright colors and intricate designs that command the screen.

This short is shiny, a true visual feast, but it also stands out for its story content. Sanjay's Super Team feels authentic because it is, as real life Sanjay Patel directed the short based on exaggerated experiences from his youth. It's lovely to see a culture and it's religion that is oft overlooked in American cinema get some attention. This is Pixar's first project, of all of their shorts and feature-length projects alike, featuring humans to be lead by a person of color protagonist, after all, so it's as important as it is fun, if not more. It's also nice to see Hinduism and it's Gods portrayed in such an encouraging and positively energetic way.

It has moments reminiscent of The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack, which is a completely good thing. If only Pixar had given us a new feature length action film of this caliber and laid those tired old dinosaur bones to rest.

This is an odd Pixar film in a sense, because the focus is not on the cuteness or the fun, but on the story. Although the animation is good, it is not as good as other Pixar films. However, this is an excellent film mostly because it has substance and teaches a great lesson to

kids who belong to a culture that is very different from the Western World but adore the same TV shoes, heroes, and stories as any other kid in the world.

The focus in this film is on the Hindu culture, as Patel is narrating a semi-autobiographic episode. Hindu culture is full of myths, legends and heroes that are thousands of years old, are amazing, fun and as enthralling as any TV super-hero. This film is a reminder that sometimes the best stories are those behind the traditions one take for granted, that those traditions are based on powerful stories with powerful heroes.

What I liked the most about the film is that the story approaches both worlds, the old and new, the modern and antique, the lay and the divine as complementary, they are both cool, there is space in our lives for both. Kids can enjoy our modern myths (playful TV characters, animated heroes, superheroes) but also need to learn to respect and appreciate the value of their own culture, the meaning of their rituals, and the powerful stories they convey.

Finally, this short film is also a charming ode to the power of the divine, prayer, meditation and tradition in our modern hectic lives.

It is refreshing seeing animators going beyond the cute to focus on such an important message.

This is a touching story of intergenerational conflict, and how the modern world can leave tradition behind. It is smartly observed about father and sons. It is also very colorful and has a slight Bollywood vibe. But some of it is obscure and esoteric. I am unsure what the super team tracks within Hinduism or with another piece of media.

'SANJAY'S SUPER TEAM': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A 7 minute Pixar animated short film; which accompanied 'THE GOOD DINOSAUR' in theaters. It tells the story of an Indian boy, who imagines the Hindu gods (his father has taught him to believe in), as mighty superheroes. It was directed by veteran animator, turned director, Sanjay Patel. Patel used his own childhood, growing up as an Indian immigrant (in 1980s San Bernardino), as inspiration for the short. I found the film to be amusing, slightly emotional and full of decent animation. It's also a great, thoughtful idea for a kids' cartoon short. It doesn't quite have that magical touch though; that Pixar's greats do. 'SANJAY'S SUPER TEAM' is definitely a well made short, but it's not spectacular.

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This delivers everything we expect from a Pixar short. It's clever, funny, has something to say, the music and sound design are on point and the animation is amazing. This one focuses on superheroics and the contrast between those and real life.

While the kid really wants to watch Saturday morning cartoons his father believes it is important for them to hold on to his own faith in Hinduism which he wants to spread to his son. This is a conflict common to modern life. Old and new. I felt like they did a really great job exploring it here. I love seeing one of these not the so focused on white people. Recommended. 7/10.