Lifted (2006 film)

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Lifted
PixarLiftedPoster.jpg
Official poster
Directed by Gary Rydstrom
Written byGary Rydstrom
Story by Jeff Pidgeon
Max Brace
Produced by Katherine Sarafian
Edited by Steve Bloom
Music by Michael Giacchino
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution [a]
Release dates
Running time
5 minutes
CountryUnited States

Lifted is a 2006 American animated science fiction short film written and directed by Gary Rydstrom and produced by Pixar Animation Studios. This is the directorial debut of Rydstrom, a Academy Award-winning sound designer, editor and mixer, and the first produced by Katherine Sarafian, who went on to produce Pixar's Brave released in 2012.

Contents

Inspired by Metropolis (1927), the short debuted on October 12, 2006 at the 42nd Chicago International Film Festival at Columbia College, [1] [2] and was released theatrically with Pixar's Ratatouille on June 29, 2007. [3]

Plot

A young alien named Stu is taking an alien abduction test inside a spacecraft. [4] Tasked with abducting a sleeping farmer named Ernie, he must use an array of identical toggle switches under the supervision of his examiner, Mr. B. [4]

Stu's clumsy attempts to operate the switches cause Ernie to be flung around his bedroom while asleep, knocking over numerous items. Eventually, Stu gets Ernie into the ship, but accidentally deactivates the tractor beam, nearly letting Ernie fall to his death. Mr. B takes over, returning Ernie to his bed and tidying the mess that Stu made.

Stu is distraught over his failure until Mr. B allows him to pilot the ship back home. Stu cheerfully grabs the steering yoke and begins to steer, only to land the ship onto Ernie's house and destroy it. The ship departs, leaving behind a large crater and a lone pillar of earth with Ernie still asleep on top. During the credits, we hear Ernie waking up and then screaming as he falls into the crater.

Production

Production on the film began in mid-2005 and was completed in the summer of 2006. [5] The short was inspired by Gary Rydstrom's own experiences as a sound mixer, and how uncomfortable and difficult it is to operate the large, complex piece of equipment when there are lots of people watching and taking notes. [6] There were no large technological advances used in Lifted, only the use of a new program called Jiggle. This program gives the animators a way to resonate, or jiggle, certain parts of a body. The animator can control how far out to resonate, such as only within a limb, or to stay away from specific parts of the body such as the face. [5]

Awards

Lifted was nominated for Best Animated Short Film on January 23, 2007 for the 79th Academy Awards. [7] It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2006.

Home media

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment included the film on the Blu-ray and DVD release of Ratatouille and as part of Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 in 2007.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution through the Walt Disney Pictures banner.

References

  1. ↑ Desowitz, Bill (September 25, 2006). "Gary Rydstrom's First Pixar Short to Debut at Chicago Fest". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Pixar: An Afternoon With Gary Rydstrom". Chicago Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ King, Susan (November 9, 2007). "'Ratatouille,' extras a feast for viewers with taste". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Jessen, Taylor (February 22, 2007). "2007's Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts: Three Fords, a Vespa and a Kit Bike". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Taylor Jessen. "2007's Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts: Three Fords, a Vespa and a Kit Bike", Animation World Magazine, 2-27-2007 Archived 2007-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Event Recap: 10 Things We Learned from Gary Rydstrom During WDFM's Happily Ever After Hours". Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ Zoller Seitz, Matt (February 16, 2007). "Film in Review; The 2006 Academy Award-Nominated Short Films". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2015.