Pixar Short Films: Volume 1 (NR)

The stories of the 13 short films in this collection vary from simple to more complex. Several include characters from feature-length Pixar films, like Cars, Monsters Inc., and The Incredibles. The first bunch of films do not have dialogue. Even though the films are short, some pack a great deal of action or emotion into a few minutes. In "Tin Toy," a brand new plaything is both fascinated and terrified of a crawling baby. When he seeks shelter under the couch, he finds dozens of other terrified toys hiding out too. "Boundin'" tells the story of a freshly shorn lamb who's getting teased by other animals for the way he looks. A friendly Jackalope teaches him to brush off the teasing and find a way to enjoy himself -- by jumping up and down joyfully. "For the Birds" shows a bunch of little birds chirping away on a wire, until they're interrupted by a bigger bird. They reject the big bird and pay the price when they get flung off the wire dramatically.

Each of the short films is a tiny jewel of animation and filmmaking. The 13 films improve chronologically, too, with the first one being more of a record of Pixar's early work and the later ones being masterful combinations of visuals and storytelling. Some of the shorts will be more appealing to children, like the slapstick antics of "Mikes New Car," and some might appeal more to adults, like "Lifted," which chronicles the attempts of a young alien to perform a complicated human abduction under pressure.

Studio: Pixar Animation Studios
Director: John Lasseter
Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 54 minutes
DVD release: November 6, 2007
MPAA Rating: NR