Pixar short 'Bao,' about a dumpling come to life, up for Oscar

A mother coddles her little "dumpling" - only in this case, the endearment is literal - in the short film "Bao," the first Pixar film directed by a woman to be nominated. A mother coddles her little "dumpling" - only in this case, the endearment is literal - in the short film "Bao," the first Pixar film directed by a woman to be nominated. Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Image 1 of / 55 Caption Close Pixar short 'Bao,' about a dumpling come to life, up for Oscar 1 / 55 Back to Gallery

Update: Bao won the Academy Award for best animated short.

While most films nominated for Academy Awards this month are action-packed ("Black Panther," vibrant ("Bohemian Rhapsody") or emotionally wringing ("A Star is Born"), one work is attracting attention for its portrayal of the trials of motherhood, with a heaping spoonful of magical realism.

"Bao" is a Disney Pixar short nominated in the best animated short category. The first such Pixar film to be directed by a woman, "Bao" follows a woman who comes to raise a baozi bun that she cooked when it comes to life. The film explores themes of empty nest syndrome, attachment and the effects of being an overprotective parent.

RELATED: Pixar 'Bao' director Domee Shi gave us her mom's dumpling recipe

As director Domee Shi told The Chronicle in June, "Bao" is inspired by her own life growing up in Canada with Chinese parents.

"I'm an only child with Chinese parents, so I was very protected. I'd always been my mom's 'little dumpling,'" Shi said. "It was a challenge to put myself in my mom's shoes and try to understand things from her point of view, not just from the kid's perspective who's being smothered. That became the spark, to create a modern-day fairy tale with vibes of the Little Gingerbread Man (whose mother bakes him, only to have him run away), but do a Chinese version of it."

RELATED: Pixar's 'Incredibles 2' short preview 'Bao' powered by women — and food

Some Pixar fans may have caught the 8-minute short when it played ahead of "Incredibles 2" in June, or when it debuted on YouTube shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, the short is no longer online, but fans can purchase "Bao" with several other Disney Pixar shorts at the Disney website.

Watch a clip of the short above.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.