Pixar Shorts

A recent article in Empire brought back many memories of endlessly watching Pixar films on video! Not just the films themselves, but the famous shorts that came before them!
In the latest issue (312, June 2015) Empire rated the 14 Pixar shorts in order of their favourites.
Their top three were:

•  'The Blue Umbrella' (2013) a sweet but simple tale of an umbrella who falls in love during a rainstorm in the busy streets of the city.
•  'Luxo Jr' (1986) the first Pixar short starring the iconic lamps!
• 'Day and Night' (2010) interpretations of day and night discover a bond, despite their initial differences

I think these three are all brilliant, but personally I have a slightly different top 3. My all time number one favourite is without a doubt 'Geri's Game' (1997). This came before both 'Toy Story' and 'A Bug's Life' (The first film I ever saw at the cinema and my favourite film of all time!). It  focuses on an old man- Geri- who plays a chess game with himself, a simple idea, yet full of imagination. As the game develops, Geri becomes two very different personalities, opponents both striving to win. This short reminds me of watching 'A Bug's life' on repeat, rewinding the video back to watch it again! Geri was Pixar's first main human character and makes a further appearance in Toy Story 2 as the Toy mender that fixes Woody.




For my second favourite Pixar short, I am in agreement with Empire, 'Luxo Jr' (1986) . It stars the iconic lamp that makes Pixar what it is. But what makes it so engaging is the fact that it causes its audience to empathise with two inanimate objects which are present in al our daily lives that we have never given thought to before. 






Finally, my third favourite Pixar short is' One Man Band' (2005), a story that follows two musicians who compete to earn a single coin from a girl who seems to be the only person out in the village. A cleverly thought out plot, and vibrant music create a fast paced conflict that engages its audience.


I have now come to look forward to watching the Pixar shorts as much as the actual film itself! and I hope Pixar continue to envelope us in the depths of their imaginations.