Pixar's New Short Film Focuses On The Hardships Of Females Trying To Fit In A Male-Dominated Workplace
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Pixar just released the first animated short in its new SparkShorts program and who better to get the ball rolling than – well a ball of yarn. The earnest 8-minute animated film follows a ball of yarn named ‘Purl’ at her new very male-dominated job and tackles the issue of gender equality in the workplace. Tackling this topical theme comes at the right time for the studio, who suffered from their own #MeToo scandal with former CCO John Lasseter was recently fired due to sexual harassment and accusations of misconduct.
The film was created by writer and director Kristen Lester, who said the film is based on her own experiences working in animation. “My first job, I was like the only woman in the room, and so in order to do the thing that I loved, I sort of became one of the guys. And then I came to Pixar, and I started to work on teams with women for the first time, and that actually made me realize how much of the female aspect of myself I had sort of buried and left behind.”
Purl is faced with similar challenges as Lester when she begins a new job at B.R.O. Capital “a fast-paced, high energy, male-centric start-up.”
The film’s description reads: “Things start to unravel as she tries to fit in with this close-knit group. Purl must ask herself how far is she willing to go to get the acceptance she yearns for and in the end is it worth it?”
Pixar’s SparkShorts project objective is to highlight the studio’s up-and-coming animation artists. “The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows. These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare.”
In addition to allowing animators a chance to produce their own projects, the short is also a promotion piece for Disney+, Disney’s new streaming device that will aim to compete with Netflix. More SparkShots are scheduled to be released in 2019.
Watch the full short ‘Purl’ here
Women in the comments found the theme of the short very relatable
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Oh god more men shaming crap great
Note: At my workplace, I'm a Principal software developer, and there are three software architects on our floor who are women. The VP of technology is a woman and has made huge strides in modernizing and streamlining our systems. I noticed a tiny bit of prejudice from men towards female developers over the two decades, but only from a couple of people, and definitely not blatant. Guy who does production support (of one of the most complicated systems in the world spanning centers in almost every country) said of a female new-hire that she's probably the smartest person on the whole team. I'm sure some workplaces are toxic, and it depends a lot on the industry, but I work with great guys.
Exactly my thought. Thank you.
I know. Right?
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Don’t worry your head about these things, sweetie pie. This isn’t for you. Don’t you have some dishes to be washing? Your wife is waiting.
You are aware Kat is a woman, right? You can't be THAT stupid.
yeah… like all womans are good and all mens are bad. womans a able to be bitchy too. why Don't just say people in corporate environnement can be horrible people? Competitive environnement can make horrible people, regardless of sex or race
That's why it's not about men vs women. It's about accepting people's differences. e.g. At the end, many of the men who were there before were wearing things other than the black suit. I assume they always wanted to, but were afraid to be different.
This comment has been deleted.
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No one....NO ONE said all men are bad. This was one woman's experience and she made it into a short film. I have experienced the same issue and so have so many women. Sure it happens to men too, but that isn't what this particular short film was about. It's not some conspiracy to make all men out to be bad. It's just calling out the ones that are.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hey, spotted a "not all men" eejit here. That was easy.
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Isn’t it interesting that instead of hearing this woman’s experience, most commenters here automatically jump to defend men mode? Sad.
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Says the (probably) white male.
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Stop crying, sugartits. Just smile.
This shit is so embarrassing. No Pixar's trying to get all politically correct just to make a buck.People need to get over the fact that the only place in which white males have privilege over females or blacks is on social media.
This comment has been deleted.
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Did the little cartoon hurt your sensitive male fweelings?
Women: Men should be more sensitive! Also women: Did the little cartoon hurt your sensitive male fweelings?
Lol yes kinda
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
SHUT UP WHITE BOY
Oh god more men shaming crap great
Note: At my workplace, I'm a Principal software developer, and there are three software architects on our floor who are women. The VP of technology is a woman and has made huge strides in modernizing and streamlining our systems. I noticed a tiny bit of prejudice from men towards female developers over the two decades, but only from a couple of people, and definitely not blatant. Guy who does production support (of one of the most complicated systems in the world spanning centers in almost every country) said of a female new-hire that she's probably the smartest person on the whole team. I'm sure some workplaces are toxic, and it depends a lot on the industry, but I work with great guys.
Exactly my thought. Thank you.
I know. Right?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Don’t worry your head about these things, sweetie pie. This isn’t for you. Don’t you have some dishes to be washing? Your wife is waiting.
You are aware Kat is a woman, right? You can't be THAT stupid.
yeah… like all womans are good and all mens are bad. womans a able to be bitchy too. why Don't just say people in corporate environnement can be horrible people? Competitive environnement can make horrible people, regardless of sex or race
That's why it's not about men vs women. It's about accepting people's differences. e.g. At the end, many of the men who were there before were wearing things other than the black suit. I assume they always wanted to, but were afraid to be different.
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
No one....NO ONE said all men are bad. This was one woman's experience and she made it into a short film. I have experienced the same issue and so have so many women. Sure it happens to men too, but that isn't what this particular short film was about. It's not some conspiracy to make all men out to be bad. It's just calling out the ones that are.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hey, spotted a "not all men" eejit here. That was easy.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Isn’t it interesting that instead of hearing this woman’s experience, most commenters here automatically jump to defend men mode? Sad.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Says the (probably) white male.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Stop crying, sugartits. Just smile.
This shit is so embarrassing. No Pixar's trying to get all politically correct just to make a buck.People need to get over the fact that the only place in which white males have privilege over females or blacks is on social media.
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Did the little cartoon hurt your sensitive male fweelings?
Women: Men should be more sensitive! Also women: Did the little cartoon hurt your sensitive male fweelings?
Lol yes kinda
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
SHUT UP WHITE BOY