pixarponderings - Tumblr blog

[pixarponderings]

Partly Cloudy

"Partly Cloudy" is about a stork who delivers babies. Clouds make all different kinds of animal babies. The problem is that the cloud assigned to the stork keeps making dangerous animals, from an alligator to a porcupine to an electric eel. Every time the stork delivers the baby, he gets more and more injured. When the stork goes to another cloud, the stork's original cloud becomes upset, but then the stork comes back with a helmet and protective gear, ready to deliver the next hazardous baby.

This short was really enjoyable because the stork and cloud were both enthusiastic about their jobs, even if the stork's job was dangerous. The cloud was doing his best to make little animal babies for delivery even if they did turn out to cause harm. The poor cloud seemed so sad and disappointed when the stork flew to a different cloud; he thought his friend was rejecting him. I was touched when despite his anxieties, the stork came back ready to deliver the next baby with protective gear from the other cloud. This short shows us that even when things don't turn out, good friends have the best intentions.

[pixarponderings]

Presto

"Presto" is a cute short about a magician doing a magic show and his rabbit, Alec. The magician has two hats with a magical connection, which is how he does his show. The rabbit wears the purple wizard hat offstage, and the magician can reach into the top hat to grab the rabbit. The rabbit does not cooperate and plays clever pranks on the magician with the hats since the magician would not feed him a carrot before the show. These pranks were amusing for the magic show audience and for me as a viewer. At the end of the show, the magician and rabbit make up when the magician finally lets the rabbit have his carrot.

"Presto" was amusing and funny. The pranks the rabbit plays on the magician gradually get more clever, and they really show the creativity of the Pixar writers and animators. Additionally, this short has a nice message--that you should treat others kindly, especially those that work for you or are in a lower position than you.

[pixarponderings]

Lifted

"Lifted" is about an alien attempting to abduct a human under the supervision of an older alien. The little alien is very eager and tries really hard, but he keeps messing up. First, he misses the window and the human's head bangs into the wall. Then, the human won't fit through the open window. Then the human gets stuck in a tree outside. Eventually, the little alien is able to get the human into the spaceship, but when he releases the lever, the human falls out. The larger alien saves the day by catching the human in his tractor beam and putting him back in bed. When the little alien attempts to fly the spaceship away, he crushes the house. They finally fly away, the only part of the house left is the human sleeping in his bed. During the credits, we he the alarm clock go off and the human screams as he wakes up.

This short reminded me of parallel parking on the driving test. Parallel parking is hard for most people, and it is something I really struggled with, so I practiced it a lot before my test. I thought I finally had it down, but then I hit the curb on the test. Trying to navigate the human out of the window is like the alien equivalent to parallel parking and pokes fun at the struggles we all face trying to learn how. The older alien reminded me of the driving examiner I had on my test because he seemed cold and unfriendly. Luckily, the alien examiner finally came around and gave his abduction student a second chance at the controls. "Lifted" reminds me to never give up, even at difficult tasks.

[pixarponderings]

One Man Band

"One Man Band" is about two musicians trying to out-compete each other for a little girl's coin. The girl was originally going to make a wish in a fountain, but then the first musician came along with his grand band equipment and almost convinced the girl to give her coin to him. Before she could do that, the second musician came along and tried to compete for the girl's coin. The two musicians gradually become more showy with their performance, competing for the girl's coin. Eventually, the coin falls down a drain so neither musician gets the coin. The girl is then presented with a bag full of coins when she plays a song on the violin, and she proceeds to taunt the two musicians by throwing 2 coins into the fountain instead of giving the coins to them.

I wasn't sure what the message of this short was supposed to be. Maybe that competition doesn't end well for those involved? I thought it was a little rude how the two musicians were trying to take away the little girl's wish, but I also don't think she needed to taunt them at the end when she threw coins into the fountain. Maybe they are greedy, but they are still trying to make a living. However, the music was enjoyable and it was fun to watch the two musicians put on elaborate performances.

[pixarponderings]

Boundin'

"Boundin'" is about a lamb who prides himself in his wool coat and his dancing skills that entertain all his friends. When some people come one day and shave the lamb's coat, he is ashamed when all his friends laugh at him. He becomes depressed and no longer want to dance. One day, a jackalope comes and tells the lamb that he has nothing to be ashamed of and it doesn't matter how he looks or what color he is. He also teaches the lamb to bounce, which he can do in place of dancing. The lamb then happily bounces around, his confidence regained and his friends accepting him again. This short is also unlike the others in that it includes dialogue and song/poetry to tell the story.

While this short was cute, I thought the message was more in-you-face and less nuanced than some of the other shorts. Perhaps this is because the lamb's whole outlook on life was easily changed when the jackalope told him it doesn't matter what he looks like. Such a drastic change in thoughts/opinions seems unlikely to happen immediately. Gaining your confidence back in the type of character development that needs time to progress. I would have liked to see the lamb come to this realization on his own over a period of time, although then this wouldn't be a short. I really did enjoy this short because it is cute and has a good message, but I think it could have been executed better.

[pixarponderings]

For the Birds

"For the Birds" shows us the story of a flock of birds sitting on a telephone wire who are unwelcoming to a larger bird. At first, the small birds look reluctantly at the large bird, who is sitting on a post. Then, the large bird sits right down in the middle of the flock of smaller birds on the wire. The large bird is much too heavy and weighs down the wire, causing all the small birds to be smooshed together toward the middle. The large bird flips upside down, and the small birds peck at his feet because they are annoyed. Once the large bird falls off, the small birds are launched into the air as the wire snaps back up. The large bird remains relatively unharmed because he was close enough to the ground when he fell. As the small birds rain back down, they have lost all their feathers.

This short seems to be about anti-bullying, but I think this message could have been executed better. Yes, the small birds should have been more accepting of the larger bird, but I thought it was rather untactful how the large bird inserted himself in the middle of the flock of birds, weighing down their wire. He was too heavy/large for everyone to sit comfortably on the wire. Surely, they could have found another venue to hang out at that was more accommodating for everyone? In the end the birds were punished for their bullying by losing their feathers, but I also didn't understand why the large bird was laughing at them when he wanted to be their friend. Was the large bird really mischievous, pulling a prank on the flock of birds by weighing down their telephone wire and laughing when they were defeathered?

[pixarponderings]

Geri's Game

"Geri's Game" is the story of Geri, an old man who plays chess in the park. Once Geri has the game board set up, he makes the first move. Then, the camera cuts to a longer shot to show him slowly walk across the table to play for the black piece. Here, Geri takes on a new personality, going from sweet and kind to smart and cunning. Black Geri then moves across the table to play as white Geri again. As the game progresses, the the pace speeds up. Black Geri quickly captures all white Geri's pieces until only the white king is left. White Geri is determined to win, so he devices a plan. He fakes a heart attack, falling over. When he sits back up, he flips the chess board before black Geri can realize what has happened. Now playing as black, white Geri captures the white king. Upset, black Geri hands over his dentures to white Geri.

Pixar really improved their animation style in the 8 years between "Knick Knack" and "Geri's Game". Geri looks realistic enough to not be uncanny, a big improvement since "Tin Toy". Pixar did a great job showing the two different Geris as different characters with distinct personalities. White Geri was sweet and dedicated to the game, while black Geri was cocky and enjoyed gaining an advantage over white Geri. Black Geri even had a mischievous cackle. When white Geri won the game, he started taking on some of black Geri's characteristics. He was clever to fake a heart attack and then quickly flip the board. He even took on the other Geri's laugh at the end when he won the game. I wonder if black Geri is meant to represent a friend or chess opponent of Geri's, and in this short Geri is practicing to defeat his opponent. He realized the only way to defeat this opponent is to think of a clever and creative solution, putting himself in the opponent's shoes and thinking like them in order to defeat them at chess. "Geri's Game" reminds me to look for creative solutions when problems seem impossible.

[pixarponderings]

Knick Knack

"Knick Knack" is about a snowman in a snow globe knick knack who wishes to join the other knick knacks from sunny and tropical locations. The problem is, the snowman is trapped in his snow globe. He tries increasingly forceful methods to escape the snow globe with little success, finally attempting to blow up his snow globe home. This still doesn't work, but it does knock is globe off the table. He escapes through the emergency floor in the bottom of the globe, and finds a mermaid knick knack he can befriend. Unfortunately, his snow globe falls back down on him and he is separated from the mermaid by his globe once again.

This short has a playful and fun tone compared to some of the previous shorts. It uses slapstick humor to keep the audience interested in the snowman's efforts to escape his snow globe. The bright and pastel color palate and upbeat soundtrack add to the playful mood. This short was enjoyable and left me feeling excited to revisit more Pixar shorts.

[pixarponderings]

Tin Toy

"Tin Toy" follows Tinny, a tin drummer toy who is scared to be played with. The baby, Billy, chases Tinny around the room, and eventually Tinny hides under the couch with other scared toys. When Billy starts crying on the floor, Tinny decides to be brave and go Billy. Billy then picks Tinny up, shakes him around a bit, and throws a shaking Tinny back on the floor. When Billy finds a paper bag to entertain himself with instead, Tinny follows Billy around, trying, yet failing to entice Billy to play with him.

Even though the animation of "Tin Toy" was revolutionary back in the 80's, and it was the first Pixar short to win an Academy Award for best animated short film, I always found this short a bit unsettling. I think this is mainly because of Billy's animation. I can tell he is a baby, but his skin looks a bit wrinkly and saggy like an old man's. I also find his movements to be stiff and robotic. To me, Billy falls victim to the uncanny valley, being recognizably human, but just off enough to be unsettling. The concept/idea for this short is cute, and with modern CGI animation technology, I think it would work much better. I also noticed a picture on the wall of a Luxo lamp near the beginning of the short (Luxo Jr. or Luxo Sr.?).

[pixarponderings]

Red’s Dream

“Red’s Dream” depicts the wishes of a unicycle to be a juggler. The rainy setting and slow jazz music set a somber mood from the start. A unicycle in a bicycle shop is zoomed in on before introducing the unicycle’s dream: to be a juggler. The scene cuts to show a clown ride into the spotlight on the unicycle. As the clown begins to juggle, circus music plays. As the clown messes up his juggling act, the unicycle catches the balls and throws them back. Eventually, the unicycle rides off away from the clown and catches on of the balls, keeping it for himself. The clown eventually surrenders the other 2 balls to the unicycle, and the the unicycle performs a juggling act with its petals and seat. The unicycle bows after receiving an applause. The short cuts back to the bicycle shop, revealing this was all just in the imagination of the unicycle, who, seat downcast, rides off into a corner to mope. 

Although Pixar is beginning to show more emotion in their shorts, this still doesn’t feel like the Pixar we know today. Perhaps this is because of the gloomy and melancholy mood of the short.  In “Red’s Dream”, Pixar continues to show emotions in seemingly inanimate objects. The unicycle’s body language and its seat as a metaphor for a head personifies it and helps to show its disposition. I was not a fan of how the clown was animated, but I appreciated the nod to the Luxo ball as the stage floor for the juggling act. 

[pixarponderings]

Luxo Jr.

This short gives us the first appearances of Luxo Jr. and the Luxo ball. Pixar found creative ways to convey emotions in faceless objects in this short. I enjoyed watching Luxo Jr. hop around, playing with the Luxo ball. The faster beat of the music and Luxo Jr.’s body langauge (the head of the lamp following the ball, the body of the lamp wiggling around, and enthusiastic hopping) helped convey the playful, curious, and positive mood. Once Luxo Jr. accidently deflates the ball, the music stops and Luxo Sr. shakes his head at the younger lamp. The dejection is shown by Luxo Jr. moping with his head down as he hops away. The parent lamp is then surprised when Luxo Jr. comes back happy as ever with a new, bigger ball. Of course, this short is iconic because it introduces us to the lamp, Luxo Jr., and the Luxo ball. “Luxo Jr.” is the first time Pixar gives emotions to and humanizes non-human characters, which is something they have become known for. This short also gives us more of a storyline with a beginning (introduction of characters and playing with the Luxo ball), a middle (accidently deflating the Luxo ball and the grief that comes with that), and an end (finding a new ball to play with). I love how this short ends on a happy note for Luxo Jr.! 

[pixarponderings]

The Adventures of Andrè and Wally B.

Wow, it all started here, way back in 1984. Although it is amazing to see how much the animation has improved in 37(!!!) years, the computer animation style in this short was revolutionary for the time and likely helped popularize this medium, leading to the Pixar classics we know and love today. 

I thought the concept for this short was cute, and it was entertaining to watch. The medley accompanying the short, containing “Flight of the Bumblebee”, kept the mood playful and fun rather than frightening. “The Adventures of Andrè and Wally B.” is short enough to keep its audiences engaged without going into an in-depth storyline or character study. Even though it doesn’t look like much, this Pixar short is worth watching for historic value and to see the catalyst of 3D animation.