Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1

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Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1
Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1.png
DVD cover of Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1.
Directed bydirector
Written bywriter
Produced byproducer
Narrated bynarrator
Production
companies
Distributed bydistributor
Release date
  • November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06)(United States)
Running time
54 minutes (2-8 minutes each short film)
CountryUnited States

Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 is a home video compilation released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on November 6, 2007, containing 13 of Pixar's short films. It was followed by Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2 , which was released on November 6, 2012, and Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 3 , which was released on November 6, 2018.

Contents

Background and development

Commenting on Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1, John Lasseter said:

I am really excited about finally coming out with a collection of the Pixar short films because these have been so much a part of the history of Pixar. The early short films before Toy Story came out really shows the evolution and the focus of kind of the history of Pixar and the development of the technology, the development of me as a filmmaker and a storyteller, and then our continued dedication to creating short films after Toy Story and the coming out of, trying out of new talent and continuing the R&D research and stuff. And, for me, I love the short film because there are certain ideas that are perfect for short film that are not necessarily meant for a feature film. And it’s still worth doing. [1]

Lasseter hoped that audiences will get a "kick out" of each of the shorts included in the collection, stating: "I hope that they look at them and just are surprised by how funny they are. All I think except one are basically no dialogue. It’s like Chuck Jones said, ‘With great animation, you should be able to turn the sound off and still tell what’s going on.’ And I think they're these wonderful little gems and they're really entertaining. It shows also the ability of our filmmakers to be able to, in a short amount of time – one and half minutes to five minutes and without dialogue – still establish really memorable characters." [1]

The version of Knick Knack included with this release was the censored version which was first released in 2003 with the cinema release of Finding Nemo . The censored version removes the exaggerated breasts on the woman on the "Miami" knick knack and on the mermaid sitting on the rock in the fish bowl. John Lasseter defended these changes by saying "It wasn't big bad Disney coming in and insisting we do this... it was our own choice. It was just crossing the line for me personally as a father. So I made the decision to reduce [these characters'] breast size." [2]

Critical response

Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 received acclaim from contemporary critics. The film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of critics have given the compilation a positive review based on 5 reviews, with a perfect score of 10/10. [3]

Kevin Carr of 7M Pictures wrote that "with how affordable DVDs are to rent", there are few that he would recommend as a "must-buy", citing Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 as an exception, "considering the wealth of entertainment and historical value" it contains. [4] Carr explained that while he loved the Pixar theatrical films immensely, "one of the extra bonuses of seeing them is the short films they always tag on the beginning". [4] He revealed that he enjoyed watching the short films "almost as much" as the films itself and that the short films attached to later DVD releases were "equally as fun to watch". [4] Carr expressed his hopes for Pixar to be around for "many years to come" and continue to provide "some of the best animated entertainment ever seen". [4] He concluded his review by stating that it is "going to be too long to wait for the Pixar Short Film Collection: Volume II, but I guess we'll just have to be patient." [4]

Writing for Movie Metropolis, John J. Puccio declared that while those who have previously collected Pixar's full-length feature films on home video will already own some of the shorts featured on Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1, it's "nice to have all of them collected together in one spot". [5] He wrote that "they're worth having, if for no other reasons than because they chronicle the history of the studio so well and because the Pixar filmmakers execute some of them as brilliantly as they do any of their main attractions". [5] According to Puccio, there is no doubt that the later Pixar shorts are "among the finest cartoons ever made". [5] He wrote that while the earlier ones are also "interesting and certainly innovative", they don't "bear repeat viewing as much". [5] Puccio declared that if there were any negatives about the collection, it would be its length, but stated that "it makes one wonder what Volume 2 will bring our way in a few more years". [5] Writing for The A.V. Club, Tasha Robinson declared Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 to display the "stunning progress" that Pixar has made in turning computer animation into a "rich artistic medium". [6] Robinson cited the collection as "an informative, touching 23-minute pocket history of Pixar." [6]

Shorts

Shorts included in Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1 The Adventures of André & Wally B. Alvy Ray Smith Alvy Ray SmithJuly 25, 1984 (1984-07-25)
2 Luxo Jr. John Lasseter John LasseterAugust 17, 1986 (1986-08-17)
3 Red's Dream John LasseterJohn LasseterJuly 10, 1987 (1987-07-10)
4 Tin Toy John LasseterJohn LasseterAugust 2, 1988 (1988-08-02)
5 Knick Knack John LasseterJohn LasseterSeptember 1, 1989 (1989-09-01)
6 Geri's Game Jan Pinkava Jan PinkavaNovember 24, 1997 (1997-11-24)
7 For the Birds Ralph Eggleston Ralph EgglestonJune 5, 2000 (2000-06-05)
8 Mike's New Car Pete Docter, Roger L. Gould Jeff Pidgeon, Roger L. Gould, Rob GibbsSeptember 17, 2002 (2002-09-17)
9 Boundin' Bud Luckey Bud LuckeyDecember 2003 (2003-12)
10 Jack-Jack Attack Brad Bird Mark Andrews, Rob Gibbs, Teddy Newton, Bosco NgDecember 31, 2004 (2004-12-31)
11 One Man Band Andrew Jimenez, Mark AndrewsAndrew Jimenez, Mark AndrewsMay 5, 2005 (2005-05-05)
12 Lifted Gary Rydstrom Gary RydstromOctober 12, 2006 (2006-10-12)
13 Mater and the Ghostlight John Lasseter Joe Ranft, John Lasseter, Dan Scanlon November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07)

Bonus shorts

Included as a supplement are 4 shorts made for Sesame Street , "Surprise", "Light and Heavy", "Up and Down", and "Front and Back" in 1991. [7]

Release history

CountryDateFormat
GermanyOctober 4, 2007 DVD [8]
October 9, 2007 Blu-ray [9]
CanadaNovember 6, 2007 Blu-ray [10]
DVD [11]
United StatesBlu-ray [12]
DVD [13]
United KingdomNovember 26, 2007DVD (rental copy)
Blu-ray (rental copy)
AustraliaDecember 19, 2007DVD
Blu-ray
United KingdomFebruary 11, 2008DVD [14]
Blu-ray [15]
June 23, 2008DVD [16]
June 30, 2008Blu-ray [17]
Canada [18] October 4, 2011Blu-ray + DVD
United States [19]
CanadaOctober 9, 2011Disney Movies Anywhere (reduced version; "Lifted" not included)
United States

The compilation made its television premiere on ABC Family on December 2, 2009. In order to fill a two-hour timeslot with commercials, additional shorts were added to the compilation, including Presto (2008), BURN-E (2008), the first three Mater's Tall Tales shorts, Your Friend the Rat (2007), and a few Toy Story Treats interstitials. [20] An opening title screen and closing credits were also added.

Related Research Articles

<i>Tin Toy</i> 1988 short film by John Lasseter

Tin Toy is a 1988 American animated short film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter. The short film, which runs for five minutes, stars Tinny, a tin one-man band toy, trying to escape from Billy, a human baby. The third short film produced by the company's small animation division, it was a risky investment: due to the low revenue produced by Pixar's main product, the Pixar Image Computer, the company was under financial constraints.

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<i>Knick Knack</i> 1989 film directed by John Lasseter

Knick Knack is a 1989 American animated short film produced by Pixar that was written and directed by John Lasseter. The short is about a snow globe snowman who wants to join the other travel souvenirs in a summer-themed party. However, the glass dome that surrounds him prevents him from doing so, thus leading to his many tries to break out of his snow globe. Knick Knack is Pixar's fourth short and the final short produced during the company's tenure as a hardware company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lasseter</span> American filmmaker (born 1957)

John Alan Lasseter is an American film director, producer, and animator. He has served as the Head of Animation at Skydance Animation since 2019. Previously, he acted as the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, as well as the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering.

<i>Boundin</i> 2003 American film

Boundin' is a 2003 American animated short film, which was shown in theaters before the feature-length superhero film The Incredibles. The short is a musically narrated story about a dancing lamb, who loses his confidence after being sheared. The film was written, directed, narrated and featured the musical composition and performance of Pixar animator Bud Luckey.

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<i>Tiny Toy Stories</i> 1996 American film

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References

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