Domee Shi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Domee Shi
Shi in 2018
Born	Shi Zhiyu (石之予) (1989-09-08) 8 September 1989 (age 35) Chongqing, China
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	Sheridan College
Occupation	Animator Film director screenwriter storyboard artist
Years active	2010−present
Employer	Pixar Animation Studios (2011–present)

Domee Shi (born September 8, 1989) is a talented Canadian animator, film director, and screenwriter. She is best known for her work at Pixar Animation Studios.

Domee Shi made history at Pixar. She was the first woman to direct a short film for the studio, called Bao (2018). Later, she became the first woman to be the only director for a Pixar feature film, Turning Red (2022). She is also directing the upcoming film Elio (2025).

Shi started working at Pixar in 2011 as a storyboard artist. This means she helped draw the visual plans for movies. She worked on many popular films like Inside Out (2015), The Good Dinosaur (2015), and Toy Story 4 (2019). She also helped with Incredibles 2 (2018).

For her short film Bao, Domee Shi won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. This is a very big award! She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Turning Red.

Early Life and Artistic Journey

Domee Shi was born in Chongqing, China, on September 8, 1989. She was an only child. When she was two years old, her family moved to Canada. They first lived in Newfoundland for six months, then moved to Toronto, where she grew up.

Her father was a fine arts professor and a landscape painter in China. He taught Domee about art, and she was very inspired by him. Her mother's personality also influenced her films, especially Bao and Turning Red. Domee remembers her mom always wanting to make sure she was safe and didn't wander off. One funny moment that ended up in Turning Red was when her mom secretly watched her from behind a tree at school!

As a child, Domee loved watching films from Studio Ghibli (a famous Japanese animation studio) and Disney. These movies helped her discover her love for animation.

High School and Online Art

In high school, Domee enjoyed watching anime and reading manga. She was even the Vice President of her school's anime club! She also joined online art communities like DeviantArt. This allowed her to share her artwork and connect with other artists who loved the same things. She said it was amazing to be able to follow artists and even email them, which was much easier than trying to meet people in person. This experience encouraged her to study animation in college.

College Education

Domee Shi went to Sheridan College and graduated in 2011 with a degree in animation. During her second year, she took a class that helped her realize she wanted to be a storyboard artist. In 2009, she had an internship where she worked on different parts of animation, including storyboarding.

Career at Pixar

After college, Domee Shi taught cartooning for a short time. In 2011, she got a three-month internship at Pixar. This was her second try, as she had been turned down by Pixar and other studios before. Her father encouraged her to apply again. Domee felt that her ideas were valued at Pixar very early in her career, which is special.

In 2014, Shi created a webcomic series called My Food Fantasies, where she drew funny situations involving food. This helped her develop her interest in telling stories about food.

Her first feature film at Pixar was Inside Out (2015), where she worked as a storyboard artist. She also worked on The Good Dinosaur and Toy Story 4. For Incredibles 2, she drew storyboards for a scene with characters Jack-Jack and Edna Mode.

Domee Shi believes that filmmakers should be seen as artists first, no matter their gender or background. She said, "My first identity is that I'm a nerd! I just wanted to make something that I could nerd out about with my colleagues and friends, and share with other nerdy people around the world."

Directing Films

Bao (2018)

The short film Bao was a side project Domee Shi worked on while also working on Inside Out. She pitched her idea to her mentor, Pete Docter, and Pixar. Bao was approved in 2015, making her the first woman to direct a short film for Pixar. The eight-minute film was shown before Incredibles 2 in theaters. Domee Shi won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Bao, becoming the first woman of color to win this award.

Turning Red (2022)

In 2018, it was announced that Domee Shi was directing a feature film at Pixar. She was excited to work on a longer, 90-minute movie. On December 9, 2020, her film was officially announced as Turning Red. It was released on Disney+ on March 11, 2022, and became a huge success. After Turning Red did so well, Pixar promoted Domee Shi to vice president of creative. With Turning Red, she became the first woman to be the only director for a Pixar feature film in the studio's history.

Elio (2025)

In 2022, it was confirmed that Domee Shi was developing another original Pixar film. In 2024, it was revealed that she would be directing Elio, set to be released in 2025.

Creative Inspirations

Domee Shi's father's art was a big influence on her. He was her first art teacher. She said he even gave her notes on her films, just like a classic dad!

For Bao, Domee Shi was inspired by the animated films My Neighbors the Yamadas and Spirited Away. But her parents were her biggest inspiration. Her mother's protectiveness when Domee was young was the main idea behind Bao. She wanted to show the bittersweet feeling of letting someone you love go.

For Turning Red, Domee Shi was inspired by her own experiences growing up as a teenage girl in Toronto. She wanted to show all the "weirdness" that comes with being a teenager. She said, "It's a side of teen girls that you never got to see. We are just as awkward and sweaty and lusty and excited as any boy." She also wanted to include a diverse group of characters, showing a Chinese Canadian family and multicultural friends.

In Turning Red, the main character Mei turns into a giant red panda. Domee Shi made sure this transformation had a special meaning. She said it was "a metaphor for all the messiness inside of her that wants to come out." Through her unique stories and perspective as a Chinese Canadian director, Turning Red helps teenage girls, especially girls of color, feel good about being themselves.

Domee Shi believes it's important to use different cultures and backgrounds in films to create unique stories. She feels that audiences are now more open to appreciating diverse stories.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Television

Awards and Nominations

Domee Shi has won and been nominated for many awards for her amazing work in animation.

See also

A robot for kids

In Spanish: Domee Shi para niños