Boundin'

Boundin' is a 2003 Pixar computer-animated short film, which was shown in theaters before the feature-length film The Incredibles. The short is a musically narrated story about a dancing sheep, who loses his confidence after being sheared. The film was written, directed, narrated and featured the musical composition and performance of Pixar animator Bud Luckey.

Plot
The film features a sheep that lives in the American West. His elegant dancing is popular with the other animals. One day the sheep-shearers arrive and shear him for wool. Having lost his coat, the other animals laugh at the sheep and he becomes shy and loses the confidence to dance. It is whilst in his bare state that a benevolent jackalope comes across the little lamb and teaches him the merits of "bounding" rather than dancing (that is, getting up whenever you fall down).

The sheep is converted and his joy in life is restored. The sheep's wool eventually grows back in the winter, only for it to be cut again, but his pride is now completely unshaken and he continues to "bound."

Cast

 * Bud Luckey – Narrator, Sheep, Jackalope

Production
Writer-director Bud Luckey designed and voiced all the characters, composed the music and wrote the story. According to the director's commentary for The Incredibles, Brad Bird wanted to introduce the animated short by having Rick Dicker, (the superhero relocator from The Incredibles, also voiced by Luckey) enter a room, sit down, and pull out his banjo.

This is the first Pixar short with a theatrical release that included vocal performances with words (Bobby McFerrin did an a capella song for Knick Knack). All prior films included only music and sound effects. In addition, it is the first Pixar short to include a vocal performance and not be based on and star characters from a Pixar theatrical film.

The Cars DVD contains a version of Boundin' with Mater as the jackalope, Lightning McQueen as the sheep, and Guido as the gophers as an Easter egg.

Theatrical and home media release
To qualify for the 2004 Academy Awards, Pixar arranged in December 2003 special screenings of the short at the Laemmle Theatres in Los Angeles.

Boundin' was released on March 15, 2005, on The Incredibles two-disc DVD collector's release, including commentary from Bud Luckey and the short clip titled Who is Bud Luckey?. The film was also released as part of Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 in 2007.

Awards

 * 2004: Annie Award — Best Animated Short Subject (Won)
 * 2004: Academy Award — Best Animated Short Film (Nominated)