With each passing Pixar film that makes it out of the gate, budding fans can always look forward to an animated short to preface the action that awaits – and Peter Sohn’s The Good Dinosaur was no different. Though the movie itself left much to be desired, and didn’t match the standards set by, say, Inside Out, the mini-feature that opened before it proved to be an inspired tear-jerker (aren’t they all?) and its name was Sanjay’s Super Team.
With The Good Dinosaur now out roaming the wild, Pixar has offered a behind-the-scenes peek at the inspirations behind the company’s religious short. Birthed by employee Sanjay Patel, Super Team is a deeply personal story that centers on a young boy that finds himself torn between his own love for western culture and superheroes in particular and his father’s reverence for Hinduism.
Amid his confusion, a trio of Hindu gods descend into his imagination, educating Sanjay about his father’s spiritualism through a lens he – and, by effect, we – can all understand. Those deities in question include Hanuman, Durga and Vishnu – a monkey-like god; a powerful goddess that specializes in the art of protection; and a tenacious, blue-skinned entity that had a hand in creating the universe.
Nominated for Best Animated Short at this year’s Oscar ceremony, Sanjay’s Super Team has evidently made a lasting impression with viewers and critics alike, and we hope that Patel’s passion project is recognized by the Academy when the time comes. The Good Dinosaur, meanwhile, is expected to stomp onto Blu-ray at some point next month.
