Quote:
"Two years into the job [as a story artist on Inside Out], [Domee] Shi started developing Bao as a possible hand-drawn, Miyazaki-style short she intended to made on the side. At one point, Shi approached Inside Out director Pete Docter for advice, and he encouraged her to pitch Bao as an official Pixar short, insisting that she fight to keep the twist. [...] Even after the project was greenlit, Shi spent her days doing storyboards for Toy Story 4, devoting nights and weekends to working on Bao."
-- Variety

Source:
Variety. "Toonsters on the rise." Variety, May 8, 2018.