They Call Us Bruce 151: They Call Us Domee Shi

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome Oscar-winning filmmaker Domee Shi, writer/director of the Pixar animated feature Turning Red. They discuss making an unapologetically Asian Canadian story, intergenerational drama, releasing the beast within, and accepting your whole self -- even your whole self is a giant red panda.

'Float' is the first Pixar film to feature Filipino Americans

Bobby Rubio's personal animated short premieres on Disney+.



I won't lie: I stayed up late to watch The Mandalorian on Monday night, as soon as the new Disney+ streaming service went fully operational. I'm a Star Wars geek and I could wait no longer. With that out of the way -- it was great -- I want to make sure you watch the best film on the platform: the Pixar original animated short Float.

Directed by story artist Bobby Rubio, Float is the first Pixar film ever to feature Filipino American characters.

In Float, a father discovers that his is son is different from other kids in the most unusual way. To keep them both safe from judgement, Dad covers him and keeps him out of sight -- but when his son's ability becomes public, Dad must decide whether to run and hide or to accept his son as he is.

Rubio originally conceived the story as a comic... with a significant difference. The characters were white.

Bao is the most-watched Asian American movie of 2018

Watch the acclaimed Pixar animated short online in its entirety.



I just recently came to our attention that Disney/Pixar has released Bao in its entirety online. In case you haven't seen it yet, or feel like re-watching it and weeping big wet salty soy sauce tears.

Domee Shi's acclaimed animated short, which preceded The Incredibles 2 in theaters, centers on an empty-nesting Chinese mom who gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life. But she must come to terms with the bittersweet revelation that nothing stays cute and small forever.

Check it out: