No one is going to argue the fact that Pixar is the leader in animated films. They work they do is nothing short of amazing. Pixar has put out some visually stunning masterpieces that also include excellent stories, plots, and characters. That being said, the things I just mentioned all had one thing in common. Those films mentioned were feature films. This viewing was the first time I had watched one of the Pixar Shorts. While the visual aspects are clean, clear, and stunning in there own ways, the stories on their own tended to leave me bored and unsatisfied. However, I fully realize that I may be in the minority and I am almost certain that children will like these more than I did.
Release Information:
The Pixar Short Films Collection Volume One was released by Disney Studios on November 6, 2007. The collection includes 13 shorts and lasts for around an hour. Included in this set are a few special features that are added in with the shorts. For more information on the bonus features you can continue reading and they will be listed below.
The Pixar Short Films Collection Volume One Plot:
Due to the fact that each short has its own little plot I have listed each below with a description of the short.
“The Adventure of Andre and Wally B”: Clocking in at less than two minutes, this is the fastest short that is available on the disc. Things begin with Andre waking from a nap to find Wally, a bee, flying up his nose. The Flight of the Bumblebee soon begins and a chase ensues. This is about where things end and begin. It was too quick to be truly funny though the animation was quite impressive for being made in the 80s.
“Luxo Jr.”: Watching this short will show you where Pixar’s logo came from. The entire short lacks a real plot. What you see is some desk lamps playing ball. It’s clear the purpose is to show off the animation skills of the time, which was interesting to watch, but otherwise forgettable.
“Red’s Dream”: This short is a little bit longer, though it is still under five minutes. Red’s Dream is all about a sad, little unicycle that dreams of performing with a clown.
“Tin Toy”: This is one of the most interesting shorts, so far. It lasted for a little over five minutes. In the short, a baby chases a toy, Tinny. Make sure to pay attention to the special surprise that Tinny finds because that is by far the funniest part.
“Knick Knack”: The snowman in Knick Knack was by far one of my favorite characters on this disc. This animation that comes in at around three minutes and involves a snowman stuck in a snow globe. The poor snowman is bewitched by a pretty girl in a Miami knick knack.
“Geri’s Game”: Geri is an old man who plays chess all on his own. In order to make things more interesting, Geri switches personalities as he hops from one side of the board to the next. His opponent is evil and he’s working hard to win this personal game. This one comes in at just less than five minutes.
“For the Birds”: Here we have a group of little birds picking and laughing at a bigger bird because he looks different than the other birds. The birds are all on a telephone line while this is going on and things will end with a bang. This one comes in at just over three minutes.
“Mike’s New Car”: This one will be a favorite of many children due to the fact that there are characters that they will recognize. The characters come from Monsters Inc and include Mike and Sully. Based on the title I am sure you can guess what this one is about.
“Boundin’”: This short offers a singing jackalope and some dancing sheep. The jackalope is present to help build the confidence of the dancing sheep. This short comes in at a few seconds short of five minutes.
“Jack-Jack Attack”: Jack is the baby from The Incredibles. In this short Jack is with his babysitter Kari when he decides to try out some of his superpowers. Poor Kari keeps trying to keep Jack out of trouble. You will have to watch to see how well she succeeds or how poorly she fails.
“One Man Band”: In this short you are offered dueling musicians that are playing their hearts out for a small boy’s gold coin. One Man Band comes in at around four and a half minutes.
“Mater and the Ghostlight”: Being a huge Mater fan, this was my absolute favorite short on the disc. It’s also the longest short, clocking in at over seven minutes long. Mater decides it would be funny to scare everyone, but it doesn’t take long before they are all sick of it and decide to turn the tables on Mater.
“Lifed”: Here you are offered an alien that is in training. During this short the alien learns the skills needed to abduct a human.
Audio/Video:
Both the audio and video in The Pixar Short Films Collection Volume One is excellent. The video comes through as anamorphic widescreen with a compression rate of 2.39:1. There is also a full screen option that is available in 1.33:1. The sound is available in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. There are subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. When it comes to audio and video there are absolutely no complaints. The entire disc is of stellar quality in this regard.
Special Features:
There are two main features on this disc. The first is “The Pixar Shorts: A Short History”. This featurette is incredibly informative and lasts for over twenty minutes. The other feature is actually split in four sections, as The Sesame Street Shorts. The shorts include “Surprise”, “Light and Heavy”, “Up and Down”, and “Front and Back”. All of the mentioned shorts in this area are all one minute or under in length.
| Bottom Line: Kids will certainly adore The Pixar Short Films Collection Volume One. Adults on the other hand may not be as in love as the kids. If you want something with substance this is going to be hit or miss. There are a few great shorts on here and then there are others that just don’t make the mark. If you have kids you will want to buy this for them, but if it’s just you then I recommend renting it before buying. |
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Written by Dom, Ash, & Robert Evans – Visit Website
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