Just as dependable as the Pixar features are in the way of quality, you can always count on a short film to precede any of their theatrical releases. It’s a throwback to the days of Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, et al getting audiences ready for the main show. But with many of the Pixar shorts, they’re just as memorable as the longer films. And when it comes time for the DVD release, you can frequently count on there being another short added as a bonus feature.
Rather than having to scour through eight Pixar DVD sets just to get to the mini-movies, 13 have been collected together in the aptly titled Pixar Short Film Collection: Volume 1. Some might consider it a bit of a double-dip seeing has how all but one of the cartoons have been previously released, but I like how it forces viewers to put a spotlight on these often overlooked short classics. Included in this set are The Adventures of André & Wally B., Luxo Jr., Red’s Dream, Tin Toy, Knick Knack, Geri’s Game, For the Birds, Mike’s New Car, Boundin’, Jack-Jack Attack, One Man Band, Mater and the Ghostlight and Lifted.
The history of these Pixar shorts dates back almost two decades. It’s amazing to think that while the masses were enjoying the original “Super Mario Brothers” and “Mike Tyson’s Punch Out” on their Nintendos, there were computers grinding away and churning out these computer-generated wonders. Let’s just say I’m glad that I wasn’t the one having to render this stuff, discover a tiny little mistake and have to sit and twiddle my thumbs for a few days while the couple of frames were rendered over again.
And although the technology has come a long way in that time, the Pixar philosophy of putting characters and plots in the forefront remains sound. The strongest films are the ones where we don’t already know the characters through feature films. Mike’s New Car feels more like a deleted scene than it does a standalone short. In Mike’s New Car, which was added to the Monsters Inc. DVD release, it’s somewhat assumed that you already know who Mike and Sulley are so it meanders in simple slapstick comedy. There’s not a lot of heart to it. However, in For the Birds, in just five minutes the film establishes characters with defined personalities, a plot and a resolution. It also touches on themes of being an outcast and bullying. And it’s a technical achievement to boot.
The Pixar Short Films Collection is a fun achievement in animation history. And if nothing else, the set should save a lot of wear and tear on your other Pixar DVDs as you won’t have to go rifling through them just to get to your favourite short.
Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 DVD Review
Depending on the age of the film, each of the shorts is shown with either Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 sound in English, French or Spanish. There’s also subtitles in English, French and Spanish. Various filmmakers provide informative commentaries for all of the films. John Lasseter is particularly present. The bonus features are led by “The Pixar Shorts: A Short History”, an interesting look at the history of the film and the evolution of their technology and company philosophy. Four Sesame Street excerpts produced by Pixar use their trademark desk lamps Luxo and Luxo Jr. to show what certain words mean and their opposites. There’s also a couple of Easter eggs featuring various screen tests.
Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 Gallery
