Set your DVR — as part of its 25 Days of Christmas celebration, ABC Family is showing 20 of Pixar’s animated s
horts in a two-hour programming special on Dec. 2 at 7pm ET, with replays Dec. 18 at 10pm ET and Dec. 19 at 6pm ET. This is the first time that the legendary animation company’s short films have been shown on television all at once. It’s wonderful to look back at how brilliantly even the older films create such vivid and expressive characters — even out of normally inanimate objects — that we quickly relate to.
Highlights include:
The Adventures of André and Wally B. — This 1984 short was actually created by Lucasfilm’s Computer Graphics Project, which eventually spun off to become Pixar. It was animated by John Lasseter, who became a major player at Pixar. This quick and cute little film still looks good, as it finds André being awoken from his forest nap by a pesky bee.
Luxo Jr. — Ever wonder why Pixar has a little hopping lamp as its corporate logo? That’s because it’s the character in this 1986 film, the first the company produced after its establishment as an independent film studio. In this Oscar nominee for Best Animated Short Film, a baby lamp finds a ball to play with, and it’s all fun and games until the ball bursts. Just when the elder Luxo thinks his kid will settle down for a bit, Luxo Jr. finds another ball — 10 times larger.
Tin Toy — This 1988 short won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film and has been selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” The film is a precursor to Toy Story of sorts as it follows the adventures of Tinny, a mechanical one-man band, a baby named Billy, and other scared toys hiding beneath the couch who fear being destroyed by the overeager child. But Tinny knows his job is to make children laugh, not cry.
Knick Knack — In a 2001 article in The Guardian, director/animator Terry Gilliam selected this 1989 short as one of the 10 best animated films of all time. Not sure if his list has changed in the nearly 10 years since, but there’s no denying Gilliam’s assessment that this tale of a lonely snowman trapped in a snowglobe blizzard “was the first digital animation that had genuine life in the characters.”
Geri’s Game — The 1997 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film went to this tale of an aging codger named Geri, who plays a daylong game of chess against himself in the park.
For the Birds — Yet another Best Animated Short Film Oscar was given to this 2001 short about a large bird’s awkward efforts to join several smaller ones perching on a telephone wire.
Other shorts airing during this special that have been nominated for Best Animated Short Film Oscars include Mike’s New Car (2002, based on the feature Monsters Inc.), Boundin’ (2003), One Man Band (2005), Lifted (2006) and Presto (2008). Some of the films are companion pieces to Pixar’s feature films, including shorts based on The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille and WALL*E.
______________________
Luxo Jr. photo Credit: Disney/Pixar
I loved the Disney Cars Toon , Unidentified Flying Mater . Although this was the 5th episode in the animated shorts series Mater still cracks me up. The German Doctor disguise was too funny!!!