Funny pixa2/26/2023 I’ll say this for what may be Pixar’s most widely loathed short: It looks gorgeous. (The major innovation that had computer programmers everywhere buzzing was Pixar’s introduction of a non-standard shape.) But the vivid colors of the backdrops and the timing of the jokes point the way toward what was to come from a company that would combine technical innovation with crowd-pleasing movie-making. This is very rudimentary stuff, intentionally designed by Lasseter and writer-director Alvy Ray Smith to hark back to the simplistic, wacky early cartoons of animation pioneer Ub Iwerks. Made so early in the Pixar story that it’s actually credited to the Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Project, this two-minute short is mainly a proof-of-concept for CG character animation, taking a slight premise - about a sleepy forest-dweller trying to distract an angry bee - and using it to show off facial expressions and small gestures. Through their emphasis on storytelling and wit, these 30 films changed what the medium could be.ģ0. Together, they represent the remarkable evolution of a company that broke into computer animation at a time when vector graphics and trippy patterns were state-of-the art. We ended up with a clean list of 30 - perfect for commemorating Luxo Jr. Excluded are the recent animated shorts from Pixar’s parent company Walt Disney (although many of them, like the Oscar-winning Paperman and Feast, are excellent), and any of the specifically made-for-TV Cars and Toy Story cartoons. Tom Hanks Is Recording His Lines for Toy Story 4įor this ranking of Pixar shorts, we’ve focused primarily on the ones that either screened in theaters alongside one of the studio’s features or were included on the DVD/Blu-ray release of those films. Even now that other animation shops have begun to catch up with Pixar, Lasseter’s still striving to push the medium forward, amuse audiences, and win Oscars. After establishing themselves in the mid-1980s as the best in their field, the growing staff at the newly Steve Jobs–owned Pixar honed their craft by working on commercials and TV interstitials even then, the studio’s primary focus in its early days was to ready short films that could compete at festivals and major awards. predates it, created when the nascent version of Lasseter’s team comprised Lucasfilm’s Computer Graphics Division). Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Luxo Jr., the first animated short to bear the Pixar name (although 1984’s The Adventures of André and Wally B. The result has been three decades’ worth of some of the funniest, most imaginative, and most technically accomplished mini-movies ever made. As Lasseter led Pixar into blockbuster territory, he kept his shorts division open and active, so that the next generation of artists could have the same experience he did of experimenting in public. Long before Toy Story, the company established its reputation by producing award-winning computer-animated cartoons, showcasing the latest technology via entertaining little vignettes, mostly conceived by Disney-trained animator John Lasseter. Of course, animation geeks are ecstatic, not just because there are two new Pixar features to pore over - but also two new Pixar shorts. 2015 marks the first time that Pixar has released two major films in a single calendar year: Inside Out this summer and The Good Dinosaur this past Thanksgiving weekend.
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