Burrow is a 2020 animated short film directed by Madeline Sharafian. It is one of the Pixar Shorts, part of the SparkShorts series.
As a little bunny rabbit digs her burrow into the ground, she proudly displays her simple, childlike drawing of a burrow on a piece of paper. It's just a circle, but it includes all the essentials: a hot tub and a disco ball. Deep underground, the bunny encounters a mole and a field mouse, who have grand plans for their own luxurious burrows.
Although her new friends mean well, the bunny feels a bit embarrassed. In a panic, she starts digging even deeper, crashing through the homes of various subterranean creatures like frogs, newts, and hedgehogs. The underground world becomes overwhelming, resembling a complex city. Determined to escape, the bunny continues digging until she reaches the water table, unaware of the looming disaster.
This animated short was originally going to be the first SparkShort to be theatrically released, being attached to the Pixar feature Soul, but when Soul made the jump to Disney+ due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, so did Burrow. In some international markets, the two films were still released in theaters together. When Soul later received a short theatrical release in 2024, Burrow played before it as originally intended.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Biology: Most of the animals seen in the short don't necessarily live underground, although all of them are at least digging animals.
- Avengers Assemble: After the panicked bunny gets the badger's attention, it lets out a loud roar. This summons all the other underground critters, and together they dig a side tunnel for the water that not only saves their community but creates a useful spring.
- Bad Ol' Badger: Subverted; though he cuts an intimidating figure (you'd be forgiven if you initially mistook him for a bear), he's actually quite friendly, just very tired.
- Bad Vibrations: When the bunny accidentally digs into the aquifer, the pressure of the water pushing upwards causes the earth to shudder strongly enough for it to be felt by the burrow residents far above.
- Book Ends: As soon as the bunny starts tunneling, her mailbox falls down. At the end, when the burrow is complete, the mailbox falls down again, but this time she fixes it.
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: Our first glimpse of the badger is its eyes (and teeth) glowing in its darkened home.
- The Cameo: The kitten from Kitbull is momentarily seen as a stuffed animal being played with by a young newt in their sauna.
- Interspecies Friendship: Naturally, all the underground animals are not only friends, they work together to save the community.
- Local Hangout: The ants have a restaurant, where they all dine together.
- Nice Guy/Nice Girl: Everyone the bunny meets is very friendly to her, from the mole and mouse who want to help her build her home, the hedgehogs who offer her freshly-baked cookies immediately after she drops through their ceiling, and the newt who offers her their towel when they see she's wet.
- Modesty Towel: The bunny runs into a newt wearing a towel around its waist. It offers her the towel, causing the bunny to blush at seeing the newt naked, even though it's covering up nothing indecent.
- Oddball in the Series: Compared to other SparkShorts entries, which tend to focus on mature themes, this short has a more child-friendly aesthetic and theme. It is also the first SparkShort to be affiliated with a major Pixar film.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: The music consists entirely of that by Mozart, notably the third movement of his Oboe Concerto. Mozart himself receives a posthumous 'Special Thanks' credit (as "Wolfie A. Mozart").
- Silence Is Golden: As with most other Pixar theatrical shorts, there is no dialogue.
- Speaking Simlish: All the animals speak with high-pitched gibberish that conveys emotions.
- The Stinger: The brief post-credits shot shows that the little bunny did get the hot tub and disco ball.
- Through a Face Full of Fur: The bunny blushes through a face full of fur several times, most noticeably when she's embarrassed by the more impressive plans of the mole and field mouse, and even more so when a newt offers her a towel.
- Woodland Creatures: Of the ground-dwelling sort.
