Sanjay's Super Team (2015)
2015
7 Minutes
SANJAY'S SUPER TEAM follows the daydream of a young Indian boy, bored with his father's religious meditation, who imagines "a kind of ancient, Hindu version of The Avengers," with the gods appearin...
User Review
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Sanjay’s Super Team assembles a colourful team of Hindu deities without exploring its religious context. Patel’s personable conflict surrounding his childhood, between a modernised society and the archaic traditions of Hinduism, undoubtedly enforces a relatability throughout, particularly concluding with real life photographs of the director. A young iteration of Sanjay forced to pray with his father instead of having the ability to watch his favourite superhero television show. Naturally, the youthful imagination within conjures an adventure that amalgamates Hindu theology with that of heroic spectacle. A team comprising of Vishnu, Durga and Hanuman battling against the demonic Ravana. Eventually culminating into a father and son bonding session that would see young Sanjay understand the importance of cultural traditions. Well, that was the intention anyway.
Technically, it is another colourfully animated adventure from Pixar, harnessing two distinct styles between the “real world” and Sanjay’s daydream, the latter especially exuding unique hallucinogenic visuals and sound design. Character models were well-designed and the moments of heroic extravagance were vividly brought to life. But that in itself is the inherent problem with this short. Patel insisted on showcasing the visual splendour of the superhero sub-genre, as opposed to exploring the importance of the central integral issue. Loss of faith. Weakened indoctrination. The climactic bond between Sanjay and his father, indicating the combination of modern pop culture and traditionalism, was instantly diminished because of this. The inner conflict isn’t depicted. Which is a dire shame, as the crux of this short is a substantially vital principle that is rapidly declining in today’s society.
For all intent and purposes, this short acts as a microcosm for Disney’s current methodologies. Showcase the spectacles of action and visual effects, without dabbling into crucial characterised themes. Sanjay may have assembled a perfectly watchable Super Team, but it consequently avoids divulging in the very topic it set out to inspect.0 member like this review.
