| Burrow | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | Madeline Sharafian |
| Written by | Madeline Sharafian |
| Produced by | Michael Capbarat |
| Cinematography | Andrew Jimenez |
| Edited by | Anna Wolitzky |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 6 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Burrow is a 2020 American animated short film written and directed byMadeline Sharafian, produced by Michael Capbarat atPixar Animation Studios, and distributed byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The plot features a young rabbit as she tries to build the burrow of her dreams, becoming embarrassed each time she accidentally digs into a neighbor's home. The eighth short film in theSparkShorts series, the short was released onDisney+ and in theaters withSoul in countries where Disney+ was not available on December 25, 2020. It later released again withSoul in theaters in the United States on January 12, 2024. The short was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the93rd Academy Awards.
A little brownrabbit is making a burrow in the Englishcountryside. She has drawn a rough, childish sketch of her dream home on a piece oflined paper. When she starts to dig, two of her new neighbors, amole and afield mouse, both eagerly offer their assistance, showing off the elaborateblueprints and floor plans of burrows they have constructed for their families. Embarrassed at the simplicity and inexperience of her own drawing, the rabbit hides it from them, pretends she has somewhere to be, and starts frantically digging deeper to get away from them, leaving them confused.
During the course of her dig, she keeps bursting in on other underground neighbors by accident, including somefrogs who own a library, somehedgehog bakers who offer her muffins, some bathingnewts who offer her towels, and some partyingbeetles andants who think she is their entertainment for the evening. These incidents further her embarrassment, despite the fact none of the neighbors seem to mind her intrusions. After accidentally waking up a grumpy-sounding animal in a dark cave, she flees down to thebedrock. Finally away from the others, she attempts to widen the hole and form some sort of burrow, only to hit thewater table. The released water starts to flood up her hole towards the neighbors' burrows.
In tears, the rabbit flees up to the dark cave and wakes the animal again, to explain her mistake. The scary-sounding animal turns out to be an easy-going, sleepybadger, who roars to summon the other neighbors. Together with the rabbit, they dig a side tunnel to divert the water to the surface, forming aspring and saving their homes. Grateful, the rabbit shows her drawing to the neighbors, who help her improve it logistically but still build a home like what she imagined, even down to thedisco ball she drew in the bathroom.
In September 2020,Pixar announced a2D animated short film titledBurrow would have premiered in theaters before the feature filmSoul and would have been the first Pixar short to do so sinceBao. The short is directed byMadeline Sharafian and produced by Mike Capbarat.[1] On October 9, 2020, it was announced the short would instead premiere onDisney+.[2]
While no composer has been officially credited, the music in the short was based on that ofWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (including the third movement of hisOboe Concerto &The Magic Flute Overture), who was listed as a Special Thanks.[3][4]
Burrow was released onDisney+ on December 25, 2020.[2] The short was originally scheduled to be released theatrically in front ofSoul on November 20, 2020. However, the theatrical release ofSoul andBurrow was cancelled in North America and they instead both premiered on Disney+.[1] In other countries where Disney+ was not available, the short was released theatrically alongsideSoul as planned.[5]Burrow eventually debuted in theaters in front ofSoul on January 12, 2024 in the United States.[6]
Liz Kocan, ofDecider, gaveBurrow a positive review, saying "Stream It!Burrow was set to appear ahead ofSoul in theaters, but now that both are debuting directly on Disney+, it's still well worth your six minutes. It's sweet and charming, beautifully animated, and, as many other Pixar shorts are, full of heart",[7] while Tara Bennett, ofSyfy Wire, also gave a positive review by saying the short's "warm, illustrative style looks like it's been plucked from the pages of a favorite storybook, much like theWinnie-the-Pooh animated films".[8]
Burrow was nominated for aUrsa Major Award in the Best Dramatic Short Work category.[9][10] The Ursa Major Awards are given in the field offurry fandom works and are the main awards in the field ofanthropomorphism.[11][12] It was nominated for anAcademy Award forBest Animated Short,[13][14][15] but lost to theNetflix short filmIf Anything Happens I Love You.[16][17][18] In 2021, the short was nominated for Best Short Film at the4th Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards.[19]
