Burrow (film)
Burrow is a 2020 American 2D animated short film written and directed by Madeline Sharafian, and produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The eighth short film in the SparkShorts series, the short was released on Disney+ on December 25, 2020.
Burrow | |
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Official poster | |
Directed by | Madeline Sharafian |
Produced by | Mike Capbarat |
Screenplay by | Madeline Sharafian |
Cinematography | Andrew Jimenez |
Edited by | Anna Wolitzky |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 6 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
A little brown rabbit has drawn a rough, childish sketch of her dream home on a piece of legal paper. When she starts to dig, two of her new neighbors, a mole and a field mouse, both eagerly offer their assistance, showing off the elaborate blueprints and floor plans of burrows they constructed for their families. Embarrassed at the simplicity and inexperience of her own drawing, the rabbit hides it from them, pretends she has somewhere to be, and starts frantically digging deeper to get away from them, leaving them confused.
During the course of her dig, she keeps bursting in on other underground neighbors by accident, including some frogs who own a library, some hedgehog bakers who offer her muffins, some bathing newts who offer her towels, and some partying beetles and ants who think she is their entertainment for the evening. These incidents further her embarrassment, despite the fact none of the neighbors seem to mind her intrusions. After accidentally waking up a grumpy-sounding animal in a dark cave, she flees down to the bedrock. Finally away from the others, she attempts to widen the hole and form some sort of burrow, only to hit the water table. The released water starts to flood up her hole towards the neighbors' burrows.
In tears, the rabbit flees up to the dark cave and wakes the animal again, to explain her mistake. The scary-sounding animal turns out to be an easy-going, sleepy badger, who roars to summon the other neighbors. Together with the rabbit, they dig a side tunnel to divert the water to the surface, forming a spring and saving their homes. Grateful, the rabbit shows her drawing to the neighbors, who help her improve it logistically but still build a home like what she imagined, even down to the disco ball she drew in the bathroom.
Production
Development
In September 2020, Pixar announced a 2D animated short film titled Burrow will premiere in theaters before the feature film Soul. The short will be directed by Madeline Sharafian and produced by Mike Capbarat.[1] On October 9, 2020, it was announced the short would instead premiere on Disney+.[2]
Music
While no composer has been officially credited, the music in the short included Oboe Concerto, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was listed as a Special Thanks.[3][4]
Release
Burrow was released on Disney+ on December 25, 2020.[2] The short was originally scheduled to be released theatrically in front of Soul on November 20, 2020. However, the theatrical release of Soul and Burrow was cancelled in North America and instead premiered on Disney+.[1]
Reception
Liz Kocan, of Decider, gave Burrow a positive review, saying "Stream It! Burrow was set to appear ahead of Soul in theaters, but now that both are debuting directly on Disney+, it's still well worth your six minutes. It's sweet and charming, beautifully animated, and, as many other Pixar shorts are, full of heart."[5] The website The Laughing Place also praised Burrow, saying it is a "sweet and refreshing animated short film that is not to be missed."[6] Tara Bennett, of Syfy Wire, gave a postive review by saying the short's "warm, illustrative style looks like it's been plucked from the pages of a favorite storybook, much like the Winnie-the-Pooh animated films".[7]
References
- Laughing Place Disney Newsdesk (September 26, 2020). "2D Animated Short "Burrow" To Premiere With Pixar's "Soul" In Theaters on November 20th". Laughing Place. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- What's On Disney+ (October 9, 2020). "Pixar SparkShorts "Burrow" Coming Soon to Disney+". What's On Disney+. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- "10 Fun Facts About The New Pixar Short "Burrow"". Mamas Geeky. December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- "'Burrow' Soundtrack". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- Kocan, Liz (December 25, 2020). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Burrow' on Disney+, A Pixar Short About Life Underground". Decider. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- Laughing Place Disney Newsdesk (December 23, 2020). "Pixar SparkShorts Review: "Burrow" is a Charming Hand-Drawn Short About Learning to Accept Help When Needed". The Laughing Place. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- Bennett, Tara (December 25, 2020). "The Creator of Pixar's Burrow Takes the Studio Old-School with New 2D Short". Syfy Wire. Retrieved December 29, 2020.