Wednesday, April 2, 2014

My Top 10 Pixar Shorts

     Pixar...my personal favorite studio and thing to talk about. It's amazing the things Pixar has been doing the past 20 or so years. Making films that everyone, not just kids, can enjoy. Actually, I think I find more adults that love Pixar than children. Sure, we all love the Pixar movies, but I think all of us get that little tingling feeling on the back of our necks when we see the short film appear on the screen before the movie. Pixar is the best and most beloved short film makers in the business, and for good reason. We all remember these timeless classics, from Luxo Jr. to the La Luna. Today, it is my intent to tell you my top 10 favorite short films by Pixar. This was, truthfully, a very hard list to put together. I've grown up with these stories, and therefore gave grown closer to them through the years. I did have to make a decision though, whether to include the shorts created before Toy Story and the ones made by the animators and producers or not to. I've decided not to. This list would have to be a lot longer if I did. So, this list will only include the ones on the actual movies. Also, the pictures I include are my favorite moments in each short.

     I highly recommend the Pixar Short Film Collection 1 and 2. Not only does it have all of the Pixar short films, but also those short films by the people down at Pixar that they made while in college. My favorite of those would have to be The Story and Next Door, they are truly amazing. Now, on with the top ten.

#10-Lifted    
  Lifted is featured on the movie Ratatouille. This is something quite different than the regular Pixar stuff and is truly unique. I love the look of this one, especially the texture of the aliens. It's sort of a jello type look. I also love the concept, what really goes on during an alien abduction?

#9-Jack-Jack Attacks
   Jack-Jack is one of the cutest super babies ever, and also one of the most dangerous in the world. Jack-Jack is not known to his parents and siblings as a super baby, they actually think he is normal. But, in this short we find it to be the contrary. Kary, the babysitter is literally one of the funniest characters the Pixar has made and you can't help but feel sorry for her during this short. And the ending...

#8-Geri's Game
This is one of the most depressing things I have ever seen! This short is actually about a old man that has no friends and is forced to play chess with himself! I don't think people really think about it that way. I have a stronger connection with this one because A Bug's Life is the one Pixar I watched the most as a kid and I've seen this short twelve hundred times.

#7-Partly Cloudy
Partly Cloudy is one of those really charming ones, that just make you go "Awwwwweee." It's got a great story and not to mention the wonderful a animation! It's beautiful! The sky is one of the hardest things to capture (I believe). It's so glorious, that most animators can't capture it's beauty, but this short did!

#6- Burn-E
I love to laugh and I did a lot of it watching this short. Burn-E is a truly hilarious story about a little robot who wants to fix some type of antenna that has detached from the ship. Try as he might, he just can't get it fix. The greatest part about this is the fact most of the things that going wrong are the cause of Wall-E and Eva. It's just a playful story, with wonderful animation and great humor.

#5-Knick Knack
Knick Knack is one of those simple stories, but you love it just the same as if it were a movie. The greatest thing to me about this short is the music, it's very different and has a cool little beat that will get stuck in your head. This classic short film was actually made in 1989 but premiered with Finding Nemo. This was also one of the movies I watch a lot as a kid and this one has a special place in my heart. 

#4-One Man Band
This one is great! Not only does it have an amazing story, but some of the greatest music in all of Pixar. The contrast of the two different men that are playing the instruments, playing together and everything is just so awesome. Again this one has a lot of great humor and the little girl is hilarious!

#3- For the Birds
Often found as my avatar for numerous sites, this short is (obviously) one of my favorites. It's so short, but yet so funny! Every time I watch it, I laugh as if I'm seeing it for the first time. That is what true comedy is.

#2- Luxo Jr.

You knew Luxo Jr. had to be on here! It's basically the one that started it all. It's the mascot of Pixar. The simplicity of this is amazing, but what's even more amazing is how captivating it is. When watching it, I find myself just staring at it, and as soon as it ends *blink, blink* It's almost like I just woke up. The characters and everything are just so original and simply, it's impossible not to love this short.

#1-Presto
Some are probably surprised, but some may be with me on this. When watching the Pixar Short Film Collections in preparation for this top ten, I looked for the ones where I found myself enjoying myself the most; laughing the most. And this one did it for me. The story is just my cup of tea, I love magic and magicians and all that kinda stuff. When you take something I love and explain it in a funny and compelling way, I'm all in. The hat idea was really original. The rabbit and the magician characters are hilarious! This short has just the right amount of humor and the right amount of heart. But, the thing that brings it all together is the Easter egg hidden in Presto-
Statler and Waldorf are in one of the balcony seats! What can be more awesome than that!?

Hope you enjoyed this top ten, hopefully I'll be doing more. Please comment and tell me what you liked or didn't like about this blog. Also tell me your top favorite Pixar shorts, I'd love to know! Thank you
                                                                                                                            -Film Filosopher  


  

2 comments :

  1. I haven't seen half of these so I'm going to look them up on youtube.

    ReplyDelete