Sanjay's Super Team

Voices of: Brent Schraff, Sunny Singh Attar
Directed by: Sanjay Patel
Rating: PG
Genre: Short, Animation, Action
Length: 7 minutes
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Sanjay's father tries to focus him on their Hindu faith, but he feels pulled toward the contemporary world of action cartoons.

Review:

Tim: I've generally been a fan of Pixar's original animated shorts and you can include Sanjay's Super Team in that mix. It might not rank among the best shorts, but it's a thought provoking one. The story follows a boy who loves cartoons and superheroes, but who is asked by his father to meditate and pray in accordance with their Hindu beliefs. The bulk of the movie takes place inside young Sanjay's mind, as he tries to reconcile these two very different worlds.

This short hits all the notes we've come to expect from Pixar. It's a story about a father and son, about passing down traditions and how that can be challenging with the latest shiny, flashy fads. It's a story about finding a bridge between the old and the new. To some extent, it's a commentary on mythological archetypes, both past and present. It can also be viewed as an exciting action film. This is certainly a movie that digs much deeper than what you see on the surface.

I enjoyed the film, but it might be too intense for younger viewers. I watched it with my kids and and one point asked my five year-old if he was scared. "Kind of" he replied, which caused me to stifle a laugh. It helped to have me talk him through it and reassure him. Much of the movie is a fairly intense battle between powerful creatures that can certainly be frightening. My two year-old daughter was still too young to really process it, so she was fine. I wouldn't say my son loved the movie, but I acknowledge he was probably too young to watch.

The animation is good. I appreciated that the film embraced and showed the Hindu faith. That might seem like a small thing, but this faith is obviously underrepresented in American entertainment. I appreciated the small glimpse into that belief system here and I was glad I could have a conversation with my son about it. I think that's one of the things I liked best about the short. It takes something like religion and it puts a modern spin on it, breathing life into it. That may feel less important to adults like me (wow, I must be getting old), but feels critical to the younger generation, who are growing up in a very different time period.

I wouldn't say I loved Sanjay's Super Team, but I did like it. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short, but it didn't win. I liked, but it's not a short I'd feel compelled to return to again, outside of having my kids watch it when they're older. Still, I appreciated the look at a different culture and faith and it's the kind of movie of which we need more.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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