I grew up with an affinity for birds; my grandparents raised parakeets, my dad always had cages of birds and currently has an aviary of finches, budgies, and love birds, my brother had a pet cockatiel, and my parent’s backyard is swarmed by humming birds coming to their many feeders. I often feel that the bird is my spirit animal and I notice them everywhere I go as a sign of peace and as a message that I should continue on, or fly if you will. On our trip to the Finding Dory Event in Monterey back in March, I had a feeling that I was on the trip for a reason and it was confirmed when we watched the new animated short, Piper.
Directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer, “Piper,” the new short from Pixar Animation Studios, tells the story of a hungry sandpiper hatchling who ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is, the food is buried beneath the sand where scary waves roll up onto the shore. “Piper” will debut in theaters worldwide with “Finding Dory” this Friday, June 17! Watch this quick teaser:
I knew when we watched the film that the message was clear that I was meant to come on this trip as a part of my path…those little birds just fly into my life at the right time! Also there’s a clear mother/daughter connection in the film that is so relatable and really warmed my heart.
After watching the film, Director Alan Barillaro chatted with us about coming up with the concept of Piper. Here are the highlights of what we learned and what you can think about when you see Piper this weekend!
*Barillaro had always thought sandpipers were entertaining when he saw them on the beach. The idea of a little birds running to the shore to find food, then running away from the “terrifying” waves was a story that needed to be told.
*What does the world look like when you are 4 inches tall? Barillaro explains that it’s a tough life when your research involves the beach. To get the depth of field and an emotional standpoint of the story, you need to get down to that level. The cameras were heavy and with all the action of the birds, his photos were blurry. Also, the northern California waters are murky so he had to take his crew to Kauai to get a better standpoint, we’re feeling really sorry for him *wink*.
*Barillaro credits Norman Rockwell as his inspiration. The point is to visually tell a story as quickly as possible, make it as easy for the audience to “get” and understand, make it humorous and character based. He, as an animator, says the whole basis of his job centers around the character.
*In the intimate nest scene, the grass was a big challenge. Bringing it into the computer, there was just chaos so each blade of grass was hand placed, some were bent to imitate a jail cell and look scary. Foot steps from the bird’s foot were made to direct your eye.
*The water and bubbles were huge pieces of the film to create caricature. Barillaro says the timing had to be just right to make the waves in the water real but also have personality, the bubbles needed to be playful. So both were layered with hand-animation and computer effects.
*Birds are expressive and they looked at bird’s eyes and brows and the changes to animate their gestures. They created 4-7 million hairs to animate Piper’s fluffy appearance and that added so much to each movement and helped add emotion to her character.
*The mother/daughter relationship was important to Barillaro and I think that’s why I love this short so much. I have a daughter who just graduated high school and may be a little terrified leaving home and attending college in August. Those little nudges towards independence that the mother sandpiper gives her baby made tears sting my eyes. Piper doesn’t give up even though she is scared of the waves and I know my own daughter is going to succeed beyond her wildest dreams, but just needs to have that nudge from mom and dad to conquer her fears and help her on her way! This bird theme in my life is real!
This short is a perfect beginning to Finding Dory and I can’t wait to see it all come together this weekend with my family! 
For more great information leading up to the premiere of Finding Dory, visit the following social media channels: Facebook/Twitter (#FindingDory)/Instagram/Pinterest/YouTube/Website.
My trip was compensated thanks to Disney/Pixar, all opinions 100% my own.
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