Self (film)
A wooden doll's wish sparks a journey of self-discovery.
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**Self** is a 2024 American animated short film from Pixar Animation Studios. Written and directed by Searit Kahsay Huluf, it is the eleventh entry in the SparkShorts series. The film blends stop-motion and computer animation and premiered on Disney+ on February 2, 2024.
The story follows a wooden doll who, desperate to fit in, makes a disastrous wish on a star. This wish sets her on a path of self-discovery, but her desire to conform leads her to harm herself and challenges her understanding of her own identity and place in the world.
Huluf first revealed her involvement as writer and director in a December 2023 report. In a February 2024 interview, she explained that the idea for the short came from her own tendency to self-sabotage, particularly when she wanted something intensely. She described the protagonist as someone who truly wants to belong but does so by losing herself, mirroring Huluf’s own experience of realizing she has gone too far and must face the consequences. The director aimed to explore one’s relationship with themselves and their place in the world, as well as the immigrant experience. Though the film has no dialogue, the doll’s design—featuring African markings, including a cross and two elevens beside her eye from Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, and three neck carvings—visually conveys this theme of coming to an urban city and struggling with belonging and conformity.
The score was composed by Jennifer Rowekamp and released on February 2, 2024.
Critical reception was positive. Lee Brown of *The Review Geek* gave the short a 7.5/10, praising its visual impressiveness and strong message in a brief runtime, and predicted greater future success for Huluf. Kaily Martinez of *The Daily Campus* awarded a 5/5 rating, noting that the six-minute film’s themes of self-discovery and self-love make it suitable for all audiences.
The short received nominations at the 56th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Short Form (Animated) and at the 25th Annual Black Reel Awards for Outstanding Short Film.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Searit Kahsay Huluf
- Producer
- Eric Rosales
- Music
- Jennifer Rowekamp
- Editing
- Will Starling
- Studio
- Pixar Animation Studios
- Distributor
- Walt Disney Studios / Motion Pictures
- Released
- 2 February 2024
- Runtime
- 6 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The short film follows a wooden doll who desperately wants to fit in and makes an ill-fated wish upon a star, sparking a journey of self-discovery. Her desire to blend in with her peers leads her down a harmful path, challenging her perspective of both who she is and where she belongs. The film contains no dialogue, but the doll's design includes African markings—a cross and two elevens on the side of her eye indicating she is from the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, as well as three carvings on her neck—to convey an immigrant experience of coming to an urban city and the struggles of belonging and being forced to conform.
Reader's Guide
Self is significant as a Pixar SparkShorts entry that explores themes of self-sabotage, belonging, and identity through a blend of stop-motion and computer animation. Director Searit Kahsay Huluf drew on personal experiences of setting herself up for failure when wanting something intensely, and the film uses a wordless narrative to address both one's relationship with themselves and the immigrant experience. The short received positive critical responses, with reviewers praising its strong message delivered in a very short running time and its suitability for all audiences. It was nominated at the 56th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Short Form (Animated) and at the 25th Annual Black Reel Awards for Outstanding Short Film, marking Huluf as a notable emerging voice in animation.
Did You Know?
- Self is the eleventh short film in Pixar's SparkShorts series.
- The short combines stop motion with computer animation.
- The wooden doll's design includes markings from the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.
- The film has no dialogue.
More in Animated films about wish fulfillment 1-24
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