The title character of Disney/Pixar's Finding Dory will find a lot more friends in the upcoming animated sequel to Finding Nemo, but one of those new additions will arrive before the movie even starts. Piper, the latest entry in the long tradition of Pixar's short films, is a story about a sandpiper hatchling who ventures down to the shoreline for the first time to find herself a bite to eat.

As is the case with Pixar's short films of the past, Piper will likely be equal parts cute, charming, and heart-warming. Directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer, Piper will play before Finding Dory in U.S. theaters on June 17th and U.K. theaters on July 29th. We have the first image from the short film to share with you in all its cuteness. Check it out below!

piper
Image via Pixar

Directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer, “Piper,” the new short from Pixar Animation Studios, tells the story of a hungry sandpiper hatchling who ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is, the food is buried beneath the sand where scary waves roll up onto the shore. “Piper” will debut in theaters worldwide with “Finding Dory” in 2016.

Here's more on director Barillaro, as well as the history of how Piper came to life:

ALAN BARILLARO (Director) joined Pixar Animation Studios in January 1997.  Barillaro has worked on almost every Pixar film as an animator, including “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,”  “Monsters, Inc.,” and the Academy Award®-winning features “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “WALL•E” and “Brave.” On those last three features, Barillaro was given the role of supervising animator and was therefore responsible for overseeing the team of animators who worked to bring the characters in the films to life.

 

Following his work on “Brave,” Barillaro went to work with Pixar’s software development team to help craft an animation tool that would help provide additional creative flexibility to the studio’s filmmaking process. As a proof of concept, Barillaro created a short animation test about a small bird – a sandpiper – on a beach. This animation test soon grew into a full-fledged short film, “Piper,” directed by Barillaro and debuting theatrically with “Finding Dory” in 2016.

For more on Finding Dory, be sure to check out our recent coverage below:

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