The Pixar short about a tiny sandpiper overcoming fear of waves is Piper.
Released in 2016, Piper follows a hungry baby sandpiper learning to search the shoreline for food. After an incoming wave frightens and drenches her, she initially refuses to return to the water. Hunger eventually draws her back, where she observes a hermit crab and discovers a new way to survive the surf.
Writer-director Alan Barillaro drew inspiration from beaches near Pixar’s Emeryville, California, campus, where he noticed sandpipers repeatedly fleeing incoming waves and returning to feed. The production team studied birds and coastal environments around the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey Bay Aquarium to create highly detailed feathers and behavior.
Piper was theatrically released with Finding Dory on June 17, 2016. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Lava, Boundin’ and Partly Cloudy are also Pixar shorts, but none centers on a young sandpiper facing the waves.