I received the following information as a blogger via Walt Disney Publications. While I attended an expense paid trip by Disney to the press events for The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, and Miles From Tomorrowland, all opinions are 100% my own.
Hopefully you’ve been following my blog’s coverage of Disney•Pixar’s THE GOOD DINOSAUR! The premiere in Los Angeles was just the other night, and I loved hearing all the first impressions of the film. I cannot tell you how excited I am to see this film for myself on the big screen. While visiting Pixar Animation in San Francisco, I was able to catch about 40 minutes of the film. Also while out there, I was able to watch the Pixar animated short SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM, which shows in front of THE GOOD DINOSAUR when it hits theaters.
The short comes from the creative mind of 20 year Pixar veteran Sanjay Patel. Using his own childhood experiences, the Pixar artist created a film which tells the story of a young, first-generation Indian-American boy, who is in awe of super heroes from western pop culture. Unfortunately this comes into conflict with his fathers traditional Hindu ways of meditation.
©2015 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
In the short, you’ll see how Sanjay’s father tries to bring him closer to his Indian heritage. However it isn’t long before Sanjay is drawn into a new adventure where traditional Indian deities soon come to life as present day super heroes!
During the screen of SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM, we had a chance to sit down and chat with Sanjay himself. It was interesting to learn that even though he grew up in California, he is the son of immigrants from Gujarat, India. He often struggled with his cultural identity. Through this animated short, he was able to convey that and tell his story.
Concept Art by Chris Sasaki. ©2015 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Interestingly enough, Sanjay, who now embraces his culture, actually illustrates graphic novels of Indian culture in his spare time. These novels, such as his first self-published book Little India, inspired him to pitch his idea of a short to Pixar several years back.
Concept Art by Sanjay Patel. ©2015 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Sanjay showed us the concept art, as well as his own Indian centered artwork, that would go on to inspired SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM. It was amazing how he took traditional deities, and turned them into the brightly color similar to the ones we see in today’s western culture.
Concept Art by Paul Abadilla. ©2015 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
While watching the short, I could really tell this was going to be something my son would enjoy! He LOVES the Marvel movies, and is such an Iron Man fan. He is all about anything super heroes.
©2015 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
It’s amazing to watch little Sanjay’s imagination come to life as the deities turn into his heroes! When talking to Sanjay, you could definitely tell how important this project is to him, and how much heart and soul went into the short.
©2015 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Sanjay showed up a clip where his dad screened SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM for the first time. Now keep in mind, Sanjay’s dad had never seen any of the Pixar films he worked on. Screening SUPER TEAM brought his dad to tears. He was so proud of his son for the creation. He could really tell this was a project Sanjay was passionate about. It truly was such a touching moment, I think it brought a few of us in the audience to tears!
Concept Art by Paul Abadilla. ©2015 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Sanjay’s Super Team Clip
Check out this clip below from Pixar Animation’s latest short!
What happens next when young Sanjay goes to sit next to his father? Guess you’ll have to go see THE GOOD DINOSAUR to find out!
The Good Dinosaur Official US Trailer
Don’t forget to connect with THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and YouTube!
THE GOOD DINOSAUR opens in theatres everywhere on November 25th!
Now if your little one is excited for THE GOOD DINOSAUR as much as my little guy, you may want to check out these fun coloring and activity sheets to download and print! Plus check out my Dino Fossil eggs tutorial! This fun activity was inspired by the film as well. My son had such a blast creating the eggs (and eating them too!).
Want to see more of my adventures in San Francisco? Take a look at my Twitter (@AshBG) and Instagram (@ashb4211). Make sure you follow the hashtags #GoodDinoEvent, #InsideOutBloggers, #MilesEvent, and #Waltagram.
My kids would have loved this when they were young! Ive always loved the Pixar films!
Sounds like a great trip to be part of and how exciting that you were able to interview Sanjay. The best thing about Pixar films is that parents and kids can all watch them.
I don’t want to watch it because I don’t want to ruin seeing it in the theater! Can’t wait to see it myself!
This looks like a fun short! I am looking forward to taking all 3 of my kiddos to see The Good Dinosaur.
This is so cute! We are very excited to see The Good Dinosaur and it will be fun to check this out. Something good to do while the kids are off from school over Thanksgiving break :)