A Pixar engineer became a director to tell his immigration story in 'Wind' on Disney+

Scene from the new Pixar short film "Wind." Scene from the new Pixar short film "Wind." Photo: Pixar Photo: Pixar Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close A Pixar engineer became a director to tell his immigration story in 'Wind' on Disney+ 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

In Pixar’s newest Disney+ short, “Wind,” immigrating to a new home is literally rocket science.

The story begins with a grandmother and her young grandson living deep in an underground cavern. A tiny hole hundreds of feet above is their only connection to the outside world. By collecting debris that falls through, the pair build a rocket ship they plan to use to fly themselves out. The catch is that there’s only room in the cockpit for one.

Like most Pixar films, it’s inspiring, but bittersweet.

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The film is part of the company’s SparkShorts program, which taps new Pixar talent to develop a personal project. Edwin Chang, the writer and director of the film, actually came from a technical rather than artistic background. After submitting his idea, he was selected for the program and took a sabbatical from his long-time job as a simulation technical director, to craft an animated ode to his family history with help from producer Jesus Martinez and a team of animators.

“The story itself at its core is an immigration story,” says Chang, whose grandmother and father fled from North to South Korea during the war. His father then immigrated to the US and had to leave his grandmother behind. Eventually she rejoined them, but the separation left an impression on Chang. His family history served as the main inspiration for “Wind,” and the current political climate made the themes even more relevant.

“There were all these stories in the news about child immigrants,” says Chang. “And while my story wasn't directly related to those, there were a lot of parallels that made those so much more meaningful to us.”

Martinez, the producer, whose family has a similar immigration story from Mexico, felt the film could add a more emotional perspective that’s lost in the broader political debate.

“Refugees were getting such a political taint that it was important to put a story out there that kind of tells you why people immigrate. It’s not an easy decision to send a child to another country,” says Martinez.

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To tell the story, Chang had to step outside of his comfort zone as an engineer. The SparkShorts program acts like an indie arm of the studio, but helming a project is still a huge responsibility, and requires a far different skill set than coding.

“At first there was a lot of imposter syndrome,” says Chang. “It can be really ambiguous as to whether you’ve made the right decision. With technical and engineering problems, it’s like green light, red light, it works or it doesn’t.”

Still, whether you’re an engineer or an artist, a recent immigrant or not, “Wind” will pull at your heartstrings.

“If everyone reaches far enough in their history, there’s one person that propelled the family forward and gave up a lot of their own opportunities,” says Martinez. “I hope people remember that person, because that gives you introspection about what you’re doing for the next generation.”

For Chang, that type of sacrifice propels what he considers the most emotional moment in the film. It happens at the end when the son truly understands the sacrifices his grandmother has made for him.

“For me, everything leads up to the scene on the cliff when he opens up the lunchbox,” says Chang, describing a care package given to the grandson. “It’s that last moment when he realizes how much she still loves him.”

Dan Gentile is digital editor. Email: Dan.Gentile@sfgate.com | Twitter: @Dannosphere