Pixar’s latest animation has wowed viewers not only with its original storytelling, but also with the language it includes.
Purl is the first film from Pixar’s SparkShorts programme, which is designed to discover new storytellers, and follows a ball of yarn as she navigates her first days at a male-dominated company.
The short, written and directed by Kristen Lester, communicates the benefits of diversity in the workplace, reflecting Lester’s own experience.
“It’s based on my experience being in animation,” she told Pixar. “My first job, I was like the only woman in the room, and so in order to do the thing that I loved I sort of became one of the guys.
“And then I came to Pixar and I started to work on teams with women for the first time, and that actually made me realise how much of the female aspect of myself I had sort of buried and left behind.”
But one aspect of the film which some viewers couldn’t help but notice was the adult language, with both “prick” and “ass” making an appearance.
This DELIGHTFUL new Pixar short features swearing (!), a scathing indictment of straight white male toxicity (!!), and a ball of yarn throwing up (green yarn) from drinking too much (!!!) https://t.co/V4gHnDsJxD
— Brennan Carley (@BrennanCarley) February 4, 2019
“PIXAR FINALLY LET ONE OF THEIR CHARACTERS SAY ASS,” one Twitter user wrote.
https://t.co/kXXpdrXALcALRIGHT PIXAR FINALLY LET ONE OF THEIR CHARACTERS SAY ASS
— Connor-Able Mention (@Conmanginger) February 4, 2019
Ok that BMW joke 😂
— Graciela (@graciela_june) February 4, 2019
Others took to social media to praise the film’s message, which considers the politics of the modern workplace.
This new @DisneyPixar short is a BRILLIANT examination of gender in the workplace. https://t.co/RlorT3555j
— Jeremy Wein (@thismyshow) February 4, 2019
May we all choose to get off the elevator and introduce ourselves to the new person like Purl https://t.co/SMLg68vet7
— Gina Trapani 🏳️🌈 (@ginatrapani) February 4, 2019
Between Pixar's new short Purl and their short Bao, I'm glad to see that they're putting more diversity in the studio. I really am happy to see that Pete Docter and Jim Morris are really giving more filmmakers the chance to direct and can't wait to see what Pixar will make next.
— Animated Antic (@Animated_Antic) February 4, 2019
The SparkShorts programme includes five other yet-to-be-released short films, including Smash And Grab, Float and Wind.