Piper (2016)

Piper - 2016

Our next film (and new blog frontrunner for shortest film) is the 2016 Disney short film "Piper", which is about a little sandpiper learning to navigate life on the seashore.

No words or songs accompanied this feature.  It is purely visual.

In the beginning, we find a group of sandpipers foraging for food in the sand between wave sets.

One sandpiper is apart from the rest, and we soon find out why.  She's got a little baby ready to face the world for the first time.

His mother flies off in search of food and he waits with his mouth open.  However, the mother wants him to follow her so he can learn to hunt for himself.

After a clumsy attempt, he comes up with a clam.  And he's very happy about it.

All of the sudden, the birds quickly leave the waterline.  The mother motions for her baby to come.  He is oblivious to the wall of water that is behind him.  He wants to stay and search for food.

Well, the water gets him and he goes back to the nest and refuses to budge.

His mother tries to get him to follow her, but he isn't moving.  He wants all food to be brought to him.

The baby sandpiper soon finds himself alone on the sand as the rest of his clan is out looking for food.

Feeling lonely (and a bit hungry, too), the baby sandpiper decides to be brave and make it to the waterline.

Just as he is about to pick up a clam in his beak, the baby spots a wave headed right for him.  He scurries back to safety among some washed up seaweed.

He meets up with some crabs who are on their way to the waterline after the wave recedes.  They fearless head for the water as the baby sandpiper watches.

He decides if they can do it, he can do it.  He takes a special interest in the littlest crab.

As he watches the crab, another wave comes up to surprise him.  He looks at it with trepidation.

He can't get away quick enough, so he does what the crabs do.  He burrows into the sand.  The wave washes over him.  The littlest crab taps him on the beak, and he opens one eye, then both of them, under the water.

He looks in amazement at the number of clams that have risen above the sand when the water covers them.

He has a newfound happiness once the water rushes back to the ocean.  He knows exactly where the clams are hiding.

To his mother's amazement, the baby sandpiper now confidently rushes into the water to procure clams.  He even manages to get one very large one that is shared by three other sandpipers.

Our little sandpiper now hunts for clams with ease as his mother watches proudly from a distance.  He manages to amass quite the collection of shells.

And that's all for Piper.  It was released in 2016 alongside Disney's "Finding Dory".  This short film became the first Pixar animated short to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film since 2002, a very well-deserved honor.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.