Bao is a computer animated short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios in 2018. The film focuses on a lonely and aging Chinese-American mother who suffers from empty nest syndrome. She is unexpectedly granted a second chance at motherhood when a steamed bun (baozi) that she made comes to life. Writer and director, Domee Shi, stated in an interview (Shi, 2018) that she wished to share “all of the things she cared about” as well as “put a little bit of myself” in this short.

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Initial research (background):

• Released June 15, 2018 (alongside The Incredibles 2)
• The film is about an aging and lonely Chinese-Canadian mother, suffering from empty-nest syndrome, who receives an unexpected second chance at motherhood when she makes a steamed bun (baozi) that comes to life.

Empty nest syndrome is a feeling of grief and loneliness parents may feel when their children leave home for the first time, such as to live on their own or to attend a college or university. It is not a clinical condition.

Since young adults moving out from their families’ house is generally a normal and healthy event, the symptoms of empty nest syndrome often go unrecognized. This can result in depression and a loss of purpose for parents,^[2] since the departure of their children from “the nest” leads to adjustments in parents’ lives. Empty nest syndrome is especially common in full-time mothers.

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