Common Sense Media Review
By Sierra Filucci
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Animation heaven! Hilarious mini-stories will delight all.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
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.
Is It Any Good?
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about inanimate objects as characters. Who are the lamps in the Luxo short -- mom and kid, older and younger friend, some other combo? What makes you think that? Are there other household objects that you think could be good characters?
Talk about imagination. Many of these shorts and the Pixar features came out of a discussion between friends. Can you imagine what those conversations were like? Have you ever had wild, imaginative discussions with friends? What happens when you try to draw or otherwise create the things you imagine?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 6, 2007
- Cast : Billy Crystal , John Goodman
- Director : John Lasseter
- Studio : Pixar Animation Studios
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Character Strengths : Empathy
- Run time : 54 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : December 13, 2021
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