One of the best parts of going to see any Pixar movie is knowing that you'll also get to see an animated short prior to the feature. The latest movie from the studio is no exception. Finding Dory, in theaters June 17, comes with a short called Piper, which is about a little sandpiper bird who is afraid of the water. If you're a Pixar short connoisseur, you might be wondering where to watch Piper — ideally without having to commit to a full-price movie ticket and a theater full of hyped-up children.
Update: Piper is now available to watch on Vimeo.
Earlier: Unfortunately, Piper isn't yet available for purchase online or through any streaming service, so you'll either have to wait a while or commit to seeing it in theaters. But it might be worth making the trip (and tolerating your fellow youthful viewers), as the short is already being praised for its sweet story and impressive animation. Interestingly, though, Piper wasn't originally intended to be a short. Director Alan Barillaro told The Hollywood Reporter that he initially conceived of the story as part of a technical test while exploring how to develop software that would make computer animation look more like live-action photography.
Piper' s origins are a testament to just how technologically advanced Pixar shorts are becoming. It's been an ongoing development ever since the shorts started to make a resurgence in the early 2000s. Here is a look at some of the most memorable — and impressively technical — Pixar shorts in recent years.
Lava
This musical short, which accompanied 2015's Inside Out , is a love story told through both animation and a song written by director James Ford Murphy.
Sanjay's Super Team
The Good Dinosaur was preceded by this short, a semi-autobiographical story by director Sanjay Patel about growing up in America as the child of Indian immigrants.
Riley's First Date?
This was a special short on the home video release of Inside Out. It chronicled the first date of the Inside Out character Riley, as well all the emotions related to the event — both on the part of Riley and her parents.
The Blue Umbrella
This 2013 short utilized advanced techniques such as global Illumination and deep compositing to achieve a photorealistic appearance.
Party Central
This Monsters University short was originally going to be a DVD bonus feature, but it came out so well that Pixar decided to feature it on the big screen ahead of Muppets Most Wanted.
As you can see, Pixar has churned out some truly amazing shorts in the past several years. They are perfect combinations of stunning visuals and charming stories, which is seen again in Piper . So even though you can't watch the new Pixar short on your own at home just yet, you can grab a ticket for Finding Dory to see the little bird Piper in all her animated glory.
Image: Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar
