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IMDbPro

Piper

  • 2016
  • G
  • 6m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
33K
YOUR RATING
Piper (2016)
Computer AnimationAnimationFamilyShort

A hungry sandpiper hatchling ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The problem is, the food is buried in the sand where scary waves roll up.A hungry sandpiper hatchling ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The problem is, the food is buried in the sand where scary waves roll up.A hungry sandpiper hatchling ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The problem is, the food is buried in the sand where scary waves roll up.

  • Director
    • Alan Barillaro
  • Writer
    • Alan Barillaro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.3/10
    33K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alan Barillaro
    • Writer
      • Alan Barillaro
    • 59User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Photos21

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    User reviews59

    8.333.2K
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    Featured reviews

    8Imdbidia

    Grasping the world with cuteness

    A sandpiper hatches and expects mummy to feed him, but that is not what Nature intended for this little bird, and he has to learn to feed on his own from the seashore. He is just so scared.

    Piper, short for sandpiper, is one of the cutest short films ever. This is Pixar in its full splendor regarding the quality and polish of the animation, character creation and the way the story is presented. Most importantly, this is clean humour that speaks to adults, children, and people from all cultural backgrounds, anywhere in the world.

    Piper is a slice of bird life, presented both with great realism and accuracy regarding pipers behavior in Nature, but transcends the purely observational by infusing Piper with a reminder of how exciting the world looks and feels when you are a toddler or a puppy. That sort of energy is perfectly captured in the film. Piper speaks, basically, of the magic of discovering the world for the first time.

    Piper character is beautifully drawn and textured, cutest as cute can be, tender, innocent and naughty at the same time. Hugely huggable.

    Not an inventive story or narrative, just it does what it intends to do to perfection.
    9Quinoa1984

    cute, but also carries a profundity that Pixar seems to dash off like it's only another day

    A short that is both irrepressibly adorable and true to how these creatures move in real life, Piper follows a little bird as he/she (does that matter?) tries to get a little piece of clam that its mommy leaves for it on a beach. But the tide might come and sweep the bird away or back into looking like a messed-up little thing. It's an inspiring story that shows kids that if there's a little perseverance through the harsh waters that you can come out with something you didn't expect to get. Like many of Pixar's shorts it has a lot more depth than can be expected in a short running time, and the unique aspect to this is how the birds and ocean moves so closely as to how in life that it's only incredible that it wasn't done via digital-rendering on actual birds and clams and crabs and so on. And on top of everything else it's fitting to pair this with Finding Dory, which is all about taking on the odds against you to do what isn't expected - or, to put it another way, going past the limits of what is possible naturally.
    8Prismark10

    Pipe up

    Piper has beautiful detailed animation. The CGI is breathtaking and something only Disney/Pixar could come up with.

    This Oscar winning charming animation has a moral that a little perseverance goes a long way.

    Piper is a baby bird who needs to learn to feed with the other birds on the beach but the incoming wave that hits him makes him afraid to go back into the beach.

    Piper gradually learns about the beauty of the ocean and it is nothing to fear.
    10lulubellew-16567

    Wanted more

    I am 55 yrs old and loved Finding Nemo and could not wait to see Finding Dory. I went today with a friend and after watching Piper I turned to my friend and told her even if Finding Dory was not great, Piper was worth the price of admission LOVED IT. (Finding Dory was good also but could not get Piper out of my head. Came home and looked it up on my computer and was excited to see a little teaser (as they called it) and teaser is correct cause it took you right up to the start of the adventure. Dang it I wanted to see it again. Whoever and however they did this animation needs to do some more of this, shoot I could have watched a how movie on Piper. Okay I know it is a short movie but could you throw in another teaser trailer. :-)
    10tavm

    Piper was certainly another worthy Pixar computer-animated short

    Shown just before Finding Dory, this short is about a young bird on the beach who's a little afraid of the waves when they move quickly especially when it's trying to get something. Everything in this one looks so lifelike, for a while, I didn't think it was computer animated at all! Both funny and a little touching, the minutes seem to go by pretty quickly by the time it ends. Such a natural feel looking at all those birds' movements not to mention the ocean when it movies to and fro most of the time. The 3-D glasses I viewed this with may have been a plus, I don't know. Certainly, I was riveted throughout this short. Really, all I'll say now is Piper is another worthy Pixar short.

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    Related interests

    Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in Toy Story (1995)
    Computer Animation
    Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)
    Animation
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family
    Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
    Short

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Alan Barillaro said the impetus for the short came from what watching the behavior of feeding sandpipers, who forage on the shore but flee the water each time the waves flow.
    • Crazy credits
      In a post-credits scene, Piper's sleeping with shells and wet.
    • Connections
      Featured in Finding Dory (2016)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 17, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • None
    • Also known as
      • Пісочник
    • Filming locations
      • Walt Disney Feature Animation - 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Pixar Animation Studios
      • Walt Disney Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 6m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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