Disney Launchpad Review: ‘Dinner is Served’ is about rejecting stereotypes and breaking barriers

As the second short film by Disney Launchpad, it is a heartfelt watch and needs to be seen. Read on for our full review!,

Dinner Is Served

What's it about?

America is known as "The land of opportunity," yet as we all know, not every person gets the same opportunities. In director Hao Zheng's Disney Launchpad short film, Dinner is Served, an example of the same is presented to the viewers. Semi-personal, the short film shows that occasionally, the odds are simply not in your favor.

Xiaou is a Chinese exchange student at a prestigious boarding school in the United States who also works in the school's dining room. With an objective to turn into the school's next maître d', a job customarily occupied by white students, Xiaou shakes things up as he takes a dig at the job. However, when he has a shocking revelation, he should choose if he will accept the position for the right reasons, or some unacceptable ones.

What's hot?

The film is familiar to the point of being unnerving. A protagonist who strives for excellence and has a beautiful relationship with people, yet life is just not fair to him. The film doesn't try to drive home a message. It'll leave you anxious about how invested you'll be while watching it. You'll be heartbroken but it'll be worth it. It's an emotional rollercoaster.

Qi Sun plays the protagonist and the ease with which he plays his part is brilliant. With Disney's name, you expect Dinner is Served to have an anticipated climax, one that causes you to feel better or inspired. The film's climax is too real, a reminder that in America, dreams do work out… for certain individuals. The film tackles racism, stereotypes and diversity being used as a puppet to make profits instead of being the right thing to do.

What's not?

Dinner is Served is for the most part a strong film, with a lead character that is not difficult to root for. The ending, nonetheless, self-destructs and is rarely appropriately clarified. I assume there's a social hindrance that becomes mixed up in interpretation.

Verdict:-

As the second short film by Disney Launchpad, it is a heartfelt watch and needs to be seen. Dinner is Served is currently streaming on Disney+, as part of Disney Launchpad.

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Cast and Crew

Jeff Brody

Alex Reddy

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