Pixar’s ‘Bao’ Wins Best Animated Short At The Oscars

The waterworks are coming back full throttle!

Congratulations are in order for Toronto-raised director Domee Shi because her Pixar production “Bao” — which she wrote and directed — won the Shi her very first Oscar in the Short Film (Animated) category.

If you don’t quite remember the tear-jerking story, “Bao” is about a lonely Chinese mother suffering from empty nest syndrome who is thrilled to become a parent again when one of her homemade dumplings comes to life. As Dumpling grows, however, the inevitable conflicts between parent and a growing child arise and Mom must acknowledge that no one stays a little baby forever.

Shi beat out two other animated films by Canadians for the Oscar — “Weekends” by Hamilton-born Trevor Jimenez and “Animal Behaviour” by Vancouver-based couple David Fine and Alison Snowden.

“To all of the nerdy girls out there who hide behind their sketchbooks — don’t be afraid to tell your stories to the world,” Shi said onstage in her acceptance speech. “You’re going to freak people out but you’ll probably connect with them, too, and that’s an amazing feeling to have. Thank you to (executive producer) Pete Docter for believing in my weirdness and for giving me a voice at the studio.”