Canadian Oscar-winning filmmaker draws from childhood for Elio, a tale about lonely boy's search for life in the universe
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Shi, who currently lives in California but spent most of her life in Toronto, co-directed the animated film with Madeline Sharafian after original director Adrian Molina amicably left the production to work on Pixar's Coco 2. (Shi, Sharafian and Molina are all credited as co-directors.)
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As both a creative vice-president for Pixar and a fan of Molina's work, Shi had been following the production ever since it was first pitched in 2020.
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But it was well underway and the concept well-established by the time Shi officially signed on. Still, she felt a real kinship with the film's titular character, a young boy whose dream of being whisked away to another planet comes true, and he is introduced to the Communiverse, a benevolent interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide.
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'With every project I'm on, I try to connect with and identify with the main character in some way,' says Shi in a Zoom interview with Postmedia. 'I have to find my way into the main character. For Elio, it definitely was that loneliness and desperation to belong that I drew from my own childhood and teenhood, just feeling like the only kid in school who liked anime and people not understanding why I liked these Japanese cartoons with big eyes and wacky expressions. I was like, 'No, it's not just that! It's because they are very deep characters with rich stories and arcs.'
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'Being obsessed with going to animation school, being obsessed with being accepted there, I think that obsession and need to find my people is what I infused into the character of Elio. When he gets abducted and witnesses the Communiverse for the first time, that was definitely my feeling when I first stepped foot into Sheridan College. I finally got into the animation program there and got to meet fellow nerds like myself. That was such an amazing feeling.'
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Like all of Pixar's creations, Elio presents a wondrous, imaginative world full of offbeat characters and warm humour. But there is also a sadness underlying the film and its main character. Elio, voiced by 14-year-old actor Yonas Kibrea, is a lonely 11-year-old whose desperation to be abducted by aliens seems to be driven by a need to know he isn't alone in the universe. After his parents die, he is taken in by his Aunt Olga (voiced by Zoe Saldana), who becomes his loving but occasionally overwhelmed caregiver. A respected Air Force officer, Olga has to deal with her troubled nephew and his single-minded obsession with contacting aliens while reining in her career ambitions. Elio doesn't feel like he belongs in her world, and also has nagging guilt over the possibility that his unexpected arrival in her life has disrupted Olga's life plans.
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6 minutes ago
Obsessed with Labubus? Why you may want to rethink this unboxing trend
They're a little cute, a little scary — and very, very trendy. Labubu dolls are one of the latest must-have items being driven by social media posts of people unboxing them. The little elf-like toy monsters were created by Japanese artist Kasing Lung and they come in boxes, so people can't tell which one they're getting when they buy them. Videos of people unboxing Labubu dolls are popular on TikTok, with people screaming happily when they get a Labubu they want, or in tears when it's one they don't want. The Chinese toy maker behind Labubus, Pop Mart, is forecasting a 350 per cent profit jump for the first half of 2025 as global demand for the wildly popular Labubu characters surges. Allie Luk of Ajisen Ramen understands the power of Labubu. The Waterloo, Ont., restaurant is running a promotion where they're giving away a doll each month. The reaction's definitely been through the roof, Luk says of the Labubu doll giveaway. We've been getting thousands and thousands of comments and tags online. We have people tagging up to even like 20 or 30 friends and families for extra entries to win. It's an obvious win for the restaurant because people are also sharing photos and videos of their food, Luk says, which is creating a lot of buzz. While it was younger customers who understood the first giveaway, as they prepare for a second Labubu doll winner, Luk says they're seeing people of all ages taking part. Enlarge image (new window) This photo of a Labubu doll and a bowl of ramen from Ajisen Ramen in Waterloo, Ont., is part of an online campaign by the restaurant which a spokesperson says has been very popular. Photo: Allie Luk/Ajisen Ramen We saw this as like a really unique opportunity to be able to connect sort of with our all of our guests simultaneously across all the age groups. And it's really fun because we saw that we would be able to connect with our customers in the way that sort of goes beyond food and ramen, Luk said. Unboxing excitement similar to gambling: Expert Celebrities Rihanna, Dua Lipa and Kim Kardashian have been spotted with Labubus, sometimes as an accessory on their bags. WATCH | Labubu maker Pop Mart forecasting a 350% profit surge : But while Labubus are the current must-have toy, some are worried about the waste they're creating — especially when some TikTok videos show people destroying or throwing out Labubus they don't want. Jing Wan, a marketing and consumer studies professor at the University of Guelph, compared the excitement of unboxing a Labubu to gambling. You get that anticipation, hope, all wrapped up together when you're about to unbox and find out which exact model that you've pulled and you get to see whether it's maybe one of the models that you were looking for to complete your collection or maybe it's a rare version, she said. There are actually rare Labubu dolls out there as well that are worth quite a bit of money. And so if... you think you're getting one of those, you can be quite excited. This can lead to overconsumption, Wan said. People will buy Labubus just for the rush, but they may not even want the doll they get. Normally when we buy products, we're spending money on a specific thing that we want, Wan said. With blind boxes, you are voluntarily spending money on things that you probably don't actually want. And so you're now buying a lot of things just simply in the hopes of getting that one thing. LISTEN | U of Guelph professor says Labubu doll excitement can lead to overconsumption, environmental concerns (new window) 'Creating a lot of waste' Then, there's the environmental impact of these kinds of unboxing trends. That's creating a lot of waste, Wan said. These dolls are made out of plastics. There's also opaque packaging that typically goes around the dolls so that even when you open the paper box, you don't know what's inside it. You can't see it. That's part of the blind box rush, she added. That's a lot of plastic to be produced by these sorts of products where some people are actively disposing of them because they don't want them. CBC K-W reached out to Pop Mart for comment about concerns around Labubus waste but did not hear back. WATCH | Why are people so obsessed with Labubu? : Trends can be 'risky business' for toy stores Philip Sullivan is sales associate at Hobby and Toy Central, an independent toy store in Kitchener. He says they don't have any plans to sell Labubu dolls for a very specific reason: trends die quickly. He says he's seen the blind box or blind bag trend with various items over the past five years, including with Lego mini figures, Playmobile characters and Hot Wheels cars. Enlarge image (new window) Philip Sullivan has been working at Hobby and Toy Central for 20 years. Photo: Hobby and Toy Central There's always been what the industry calls chasers, where it's a one out of 500 chance of getting the one that has white wheels and collectors go crazy over that kind of thing, he said. On the blind bags alone … we're selling a $20 item, we want to make sure that it's something that has some staying power. He added it's risky business to try to get in on a trend. We've certainly been burned on the fads where if you're not in on the ground floor, you might be sitting on the stuff forever, Sullivan said. Sullivan remembers Webkinz from the early 2000s, little plush characters which also had a digital equivalent and video game you could play. The initial launch was very local and the toys were sold through independent toy stores. Over the course of probably a year... they blew up and that exclusivity disappeared. And all of a sudden you were finding them at all the flea markets, you were finding them a drug stores, he said. If you didn't get out [of selling them] then, then you would have been the last person on the street still trying to sell these things. WATCH | Want to know the real price of a Labubu? : Wan says it can be really easy to get up in the got-to-have-it trends of the day, but she has advice for people who can feel the excitement rising over a blind box reveal. A lot of this is probably driven by emotions, that sense of excitement, anticipation. So I think I would like people to maybe just pause for a moment before they buy and ask themselves, what are you doing? Why are you buying this? Do you really want this? she said. Let yourself think through that purchase and I also want people to maybe keep in mind as well that every trend has a shelf life. So Labubus won't be the hottest thing forever and with social media, every trend is going by faster and faster so there will be a next Labubu coming up pretty soon I'm sure. With files from Aastha Shetty
Japan Forward
a day ago
- Japan Forward
Haru Nemuri Releases New Album 'ekkolaptómenos' — Where Political Rage Meets Pop
Underground Japanese musician Haru Nemuri has become popular in spite of the music industry. With a strong DIY spirit and highly literate lyrics that carry heavy political statements in a country where most music is consciously apolitical, Haru Nemuri (real name Haruna Kimishima) has built a following at home and around the world. A potent blend of punk, Goth, industrial, dark-pop, and riot grrrl, Haru Nemuri's music is driven by rage, which is uncommon in Japan, resulting in a visceral and exciting sound with surprisingly deep production. Seeing Kimishima's small frame bent over with fury as she lets out a blood-curdling scream, her live shows are a mesmerizing spectacle. And yet her anger and frustration have led to love and success, with multiple overseas tours and collabs with Western artists like Jaguar Jonze, Pussy Riot, and Frost Children. Now, Kimishima is back with a brand-new self-produced album, "ekkolaptómenos," released on August 1 on her own label of the same name. The Greek-language title refers to birth, and the songs on the album are hypnotically amniotic, expansively multiversal, subatomic, confrontational, and very angry. "I wanted to try completely self-producing the album myself because I felt my skills had grown in the past few years since my last album [2022's 'Shunka Ryougen']," says Kimishima. "So I decided to go the DIY route. The result is a sound that is totally me." While Kimishima is known for rap and spoken-word sections in her songs, on "ekkolaptómenos" she sings more. The album draws on her electronic music base, with layered production that lets her voice shine through. The result is an album that is dense, rich, and just a little sweet, like a poisoned chocolate fudge cake. Cover artwork for the album "ekkolaptómenos," whose title is a Greek coined word that "signifies both the act of hatching and being hatched simultaneously." "I wanted to have a proper go at singing," she says. "I think it's a much more pop sound — much poppier than I had intended at the start. But when I played it to people, they said it's not pop at all!" The songs' lyrics draw on themes familiar to the doom-scrolling generation: a nihilistic treatise on the difficulties of fitting into society and the modern prison of digital surveillance — a swirling vortex of religion, hardship, and death. And yet, these caustic, carcinogenic sentiments leave a strangely life-affirming and hopeful impression, aided by the catharsis of her music. "Living in society as a human being, it's very difficult to simply exist," explains Kimishima. "The behavior expected of you is extreme. If you were to suddenly start dancing in the middle of Ginza Crossing, people would think you're strange — but shouldn't you be allowed to do that if you want to? I'd like to destroy the frameworks of society, government, and religion, and simply exist in a state of being myself. "If you know the rules, you have the option of breaking them. You really can dance in the middle of Ginza Crossing." This may seem like an overtly anarchistic message. But do we really have to accept the constraints of modern life? Having grown up in Japan, Kimishima points out how first-world society is designed to promote an industrious lifestyle where work is everything. We are workers, consumers, and not free human beings. That's not a new observation, of course, but Kimishima is representative of a generation that feels suffocated by it. "Our cities are designed to promote the rules of society," she says. "There are very few spaces where people can just sit and do nothing. Cities are designed so that you leave your home, go to work, and then go home again. It makes people forget that they have the option of choosing to skip work that day, and they become trapped. "I want to remind people that they always have the option to suddenly take a day off work and go to the beach! This is something that music can do." Kimishima illustrates her feelings of frustration in the song "supernova," inspired by the writings of Galileo Galilei. His groundbreaking scientific discoveries were construed by the Catholic authorities of the 17th century as heresy, only finding true understanding decades or centuries later. Kimishima craves the same understanding, even if it comes too late. "Yes, I'm able to turn my emotional unbalance into music," she says. "But I'd rather be unable to make music if it meant I could live life in comfort instead! When a star explodes, viewed from afar it looks bright and beautiful, but it's still an explosion, and from the perspective of the star it's a destructive event. And that's how I feel." "Supernova" is not the only clash with Catholicism on the album. Though not a religious person, Kimishima attended a Protestant middle school and high school in Japan, where daily church services were part of the syllabus, leaving her with a strong sense of faith and an interest in the heavy hand of religious dogma. Take the new song "indulgentia," a bold track built around a sample of a hypnotic South Indian chant, with lyrics that reflect upon medieval viewpoints on sin that remain part of modern society. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic church sold "indulgences", which essentially meant paying for the absolution of sin and release from purgatory after death. This practice is now seen as a corrupt means of exploitation, but the concept of sin is still very much a part of life. "Sin, criminality, and law are a major part of society, but are the things we consider illegal actually always bad?" questions Kimishima. "The line can be arbitrary. Like, in some countries, abortion is illegal — but why? This completely violates the rights of a pregnant person. It may be illegal, but is it really bad? The punishment doesn't always seem to match the crime, and I feel we need to reckon with that. "People may be arrested for having a dependency on drugs, but couldn't we care for them instead? Sin is an unavoidable element of life for some people, so why should we shun them? I want those people to feel understood." This lack of humanity in everyday life is what drives Haru Nemuri's music. They are eternal problems, yes, but that is also what makes them timely — and why they resonate with so many fans around the world. I first saw Haru Nemuri in 2018 at Moshi Moshi Nippon, a festival in Tokyo that aimed to showcase artists with global appeal. Immediately after that, she played her first overseas show in Taiwan. Since then, she has gone on to frequently tour in North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, finding sympathetic music lovers who share her worldview wherever she goes. "Japanese audiences don't necessarily respond when I talk about being an anarchist or a feminist, but when I say that overseas, the audiences erupt in cheers! In Japan, the common belief is that it's safer not to talk about politics. But during the recent mayoral election in New York, some of my favourite New York-based musicians were posting every day on Instagram telling people who to vote for." Her dense lyrics are filled with meaning, but they are written mostly in Japanese. How do audiences get beyond the language barrier to understand their meaning? "Sometimes fans tell me they are learning Japanese just so they can understand my lyrics — but my lyrics are not really great material for beginners!" she laughs, as her manager points out that even native Japanese speakers may struggle to penetrate them. "Even if people can't understand the lyrics in detail, I think they can understand the emotion," says Kimishima. "When I play overseas, I try to explain in English the message I want people to take away between songs. I want to make sure everyone is on the same page before I start screaming. But music is the common language." Despite so many of her songs carrying dark and nihilistic messages, on stage, Kimishima is almost quite cheerful and seems grateful to her audience, acknowledging how music has allowed her to find her tribe. "I feel alive on stage," she says. "I usually detest my body — I wish I had endless stamina and didn't get tired so easily. I'm small, and people look down on me, which I hate. I get exhausted from overthinking, and I wish I was invincible. "But when I'm on stage, I can forget all that. I'm filled with adrenaline, and I don't think about feeling tired or in pain, and I can do all the things I want to do. That's when I feel invincible." Still, that feeling of helplessness is part of what defines Kimishima and her music as Haru Nemuri. I ask her what cuts through the pain to give her hope, and she pauses for a long beat. "Hope... To be honest, it's tough," she eventually replies. "With the recent rise of populism and nationalism [around the world], things have gotten pretty bad ... I had a good education, and it would never occur to me to do something deliberately to hurt another person. "I wish everyone could be happy. But looking at reality today, it seems like I'm in the minority. The majority of people are afraid of others who look different from their group. I don't know why. Every day it seems strange to me. Why can't people get along with their neighbors? "When I meet like-minded people who want to fight and protest these things, that's what gives me hope. We have to create an environment where we can be happy. For the right to simply exist, we must be prepared to fight." Haru Nemuri's album "ekkolaptómenos" is out on August 1. She will perform at the Shindaita Fever in Tokyo on August 8, followed by a nine-date North American tour from September 12. Her Japan tour resumes on October 7 through the end of November. For further information, visit her website. Interview by Daniel Robson Read Daniel's artist interviews and his series Gamer's World on JAPAN Forward, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) .
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Japanese game maker Nintendo reports robust profits on strong Switch 2 sales
Published Aug 01, 2025 • 1 minute read A Nintendo logo is seen June 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Photo by George Walker IV / AP TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises, reported an 18.6% surge in net profit for the first fiscal quarter Friday on the back of strong demand for its new Switch 2 console. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Kyoto-based Nintendo Co.'s April-June profit totaled 96.03 billion yen ($640 million), up from nearly 81 billion yen. Quarterly sales more than doubled to 572.36 billion yen ($3.8 billion). Nintendo said it sold 3.5 million Switch 2 game consoles globally on the first four days after it hit store shelves June 5, a record pace for a Nintendo game machine. Its sales continue to be strong, it said. The company said the new console's higher price added to sales growth momentum. The new version sells for about $450 compared to $300 for the previous Switch when it first went on sale in 2017, . Especially popular games included 'Mario Kart World' and 'Donkey Kong Bananza.' 'Pokemon Friends,' which went on sale last month for the older Switch, can be also played on the new Switch. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Switch works both as a handheld portable machine and as a home console. Nintendo stuck to its forecast to sell 15 million Switch 2 machines through this fiscal year. Nintendo left unchanged its profit forecast for the year through March 2026, at 300 billion yen ($2 billion) profit, up nearly 8% on year. Nintendo stock, which has steadily climbed in the past year gaining more than 50%, edged down nearly 1% before earnings were announced. There are some worries about the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Japanese exports, but that did not appear to affect Nintendo's overall projections. Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA World Editorials Tennis
