Broken Bronze, New Radiance

The animated short "Broken Bronze, New Radiance" tells a story of bronze restoration in Pixar's warm, realistic CG style. Shen Yan, a master bronze caster of intangible cultural heritage, and Lin Qiu, a cultural relic restoration designer, take a damaged bronze phoenix lamp as their subject and work through the entire process—from blueprint deduction and wax mold making to smelting, casting, polishing, and aging. The two uphold the restoration principle of "the object comes first, honesty between old and new," refusing to deliberately replicate the antique while balancing the vessel's practical structure with its historical traces. In the end, the restored phoenix lamp is lit, and the old damaged piece is displayed alongside the newly cast lamp in the exhibition hall, its light illuminating two generations of craftsmen's reverence for ancient artifacts and the way traditional craftsmanship is passed down.