Bao

2018 0h 8m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 1,353

AnimationFamilyFantasyDramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Disney PlusSubscription

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Daniel Kailin
TV Son (voice)
Sindy Lau
Mom (voice)
Sharmaine Yeoh
(voice)
Tim Zhang
Dad (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Domee Shi
Writers: Hyein Park, Domee Shi
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 8-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Domee Shi, shot by Patrick Lin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Toby Chu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Editor Katherine Ringgold shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Daniel Kailin and Sindy Lau and Sharmaine Yeoh carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt8075496 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Domee Shi directs. Patrick Lin behind the camera. Toby Chu scores. Katherine Ringgold cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 8-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 8 years ago.
3Directed by Domee Shi, shot by Patrick Lin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Toby Chu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Katherine Ringgold shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Daniel Kailin and Sindy Lau and Sharmaine Yeoh carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt8075496 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 11 themes, including "cooking", "cartoon", "coming of age", "chinese".

The technical file

Cinematography: Patrick Lin
Original score: Toby Chu
Editing: Katherine Ringgold
Production design: Rona Liu
VFX supervisor: Jon Reisch
Sound: Tony Villaflor
Runtime: 8 min · 0h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Bao (2018)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Domee Shi

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-07-27
★ 7/10
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.

Production companies