Purl (2019)

About Purl

"Purl" is an animated short film from Pixar, produced under its new animation initiative "SparkShorts". The film tells the story of a bright pink ball of yarn who starts work at a homogeneous corporate office, where everyone is a white male in a suit. As the only feminine object, Purl experiences difficulty fitting in and being respected at work. However, everything changes when another ball of yarn joins the company, and this leads to the higher employees altering their perspective on incorporating diversity in the workspace.

Making / Production

"Purl" is directed by Kristen Lester and produced by Gillian Libbert-Duncan. The film was made by Pixar Animation Studios as part of their series, "SparkShorts". This initiative involved Pixar giving employees six months and limited budgets to produce short animated films. "Purl" was the first film to be released under this progam.

Actors

• Bret 'Brook' Parker - Voiced Purl, the main character. She beautifully voiced Purl's emotions, bringing depth and relatability to a simple ball of yarn.
• Emily Davis - Voiced Lacey, the second yarn ball who joins the company. Her voice added the confidence and determination that the character demands.
• Michael Daley - Voiced Nugget, a fellow office worker. His performance emphasised Nugget's transformative journey throughout the film.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• "Purl" was the first film to be released under Pixar's "SparkShorts" program, which is intended to discover new storytellers and explore different storytelling techniques within the studio.
• Director Kristen Lester based "Purl" on her own experiences in the animation industry, as she often found herself as the only woman in a predominantly male environment.
• The character of Purl is a ball of yarn to represent how she can easily be shaped (or manipulated) by others, but can also be strong when necessary.

Quotes

• "I'm Purl, spelled like the knitting stitch." - Purl
• "Looks to me like you're part of the team now!" - Nugget

Music, Soundtrack

• The music for "Purl" was composed by Pinar Toprak, who created a delightful, yet poignant score that perfectly complemented the film's themes of identity and acceptance.