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Special Features
Filmmaker Commentaries
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The artists at the Pixar Studio used their early short films the way Walt Disney's artists used the "Silly Symphonies": to explore the medium of animation and to hone their skills in preparation for their first features, Toy Story and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, respectively. Today, Pixar is the most successful animation studio in the world and they continue to test ideas, techniques, technologies, and artists in short films. "Day & Night," Teddy Newton's clever study of two characters who look alike but act differently, and "Presto," Doug Sweetland's slapstick duel between a fussy magician and his recalcitrant rabbit, recall the great Warner Bros. and MGM cartoons of the '40s and '50s. In contrast, a gentle nostalgia pervades Enrico Casarosa's charming "La Luna," the story of a small boy finding his own way of performing a magical job. All three films earned Oscar nominations. Other shorts bring back characters the artists still enjoy animating: Remy from Ratatouille, Dug from Up, Mater from Cars, and the whole Toy Story gang. The tone and the look of the films vary widely, but they all exhibit a palpable delight in the art of animation and a desire to push the medium in new directions. The bonus features include student films by Oscar-winning directors John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter. It's fun to look for the roots of the great Pixar films in these early works: the turquoise and purple monster in Stanton's "A Story" looks a bit like Sully in Monsters, Inc.; the little boy's room in Lasseter's "Nitemare" anticipates Andy's room in Toy Story. This delightful collection is an all-too-rare family entertainment that an entire family can actually enjoy together. (Rated G: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon
(Your Friend the Rat, Presto, Burn-E, Partly Cloudy, Dug's Special Mission, George & A. J., Day & Night, Hawaiian Vacation, Air Mater, Small Fry, Time Travel Mater, La Luna)
Product Description
Disney and Pixar present an incredible new collection of 12 short films, featuring multiple Academy Award nominees (best short film, animated: Presto, 2008; Day & Night, 2010; La Luna, 2011) and a host of family favorites. Join the celebration of imagination with this must-own collection, packed with unforgettable animation, fantastic stories, and captivating characters. Plus, enjoy all-new extras that share how Pixar's storied talent got their start - including student films from acclaimed directors John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 68 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
12 shorts - with commentary - and 7 student films. Fun (and serious too!)
November 12, 2012
Format:Blu-ray
This is the second collection of Pixar Shorts, but the first one that I've seen. I have to admit that I loved the Toy Story films and "UP" was one of my favorites but I've missed "Cars" and it's sequel and the others.
The Bluray at hand contains a dozen shorts, clocking in at 75 minutes. Each can be played with, or without, the Directors' commentaries. (So you get about 2 ˝ hours of entertainment in the base package). The other bonus is really neat. It's a selection of seven "Student Films" from the three top Pixar directors: John Lassiter, Andrew Stanton and Pete Doctor. These were made in the late 1980s and each one (they run about six minutes each) is introduced by the Director. Some are just animated line drawings with sound while others are more fully realized and were shown in the Mike and Ike Animation festival. All were new to me and I found them fascinating and fun.
As to the "core dozen", there are both what I'll call "funny" and "serious" shorts and not all use the CGI method of animation. Two are offshoots of the film "UP". The first features Dug, the dog. It's okay. The other "George & AJ" shows that the senior, Carl (Ed Asner) in "Up" was not the only one who wanted to escape the retirement home. I liked that one.
There are two offshoots of "Cars" with the hayseed pickup, Mater, telling "tall tales". Clever.
"Toy Story" has two offshoots too and they are a hoot! "Hawaiian Vacation" does a real job on Barbie and Ken (especially Ken) as they try to leave the toy chest for Hawaii. The other "Small Fry" takes digs at Fast Food "meal deal prizes". Wonder where all those outdated toys from movie tie-ins that failed go? You (and Buzz Lightyear) will find out here.
"Day and Night" is a wordless piece - as is "Partly Cloudy" - and what I'll call the "serious" ones. This is a case where you'll get more out of it after you hear the commentary track.
While "Small Fry" was close in the "funniest short in the set", the hands-down winner is the opener: "Your Friend The Rat". Two characters from "Ratatouille" present - in about seven minutes - the "History of the Rat", just like the old Disney Educational cartoons of the 1950s did. Director Jim Capobianco uses 2-D, hand drawn animation as well as other "old school" techniques along with CGI in a short you'll watch a few time just to catch the jokes and clever satire.
As fellow reviewer N. Schoenfeld pointed out in his "review" (actually a "preview" since he had not yet seen the collection) the Bluray set is pricey, but I'm not reviewing price here. The images are sharp - even on my 30 year-old standard def TV screen - and there is an amazing amount of creativity here. The "Cars" and "Toy Story" shorts will appeal to small children (but they won't get a lot of the "inside" jokes"). They'll probably be bored with the "serious" ones and the less flashy "Student Films" too. But adults who love great animation will find a lot in this set to enjoy!
I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.
Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"
The Bluray at hand contains a dozen shorts, clocking in at 75 minutes. Each can be played with, or without, the Directors' commentaries. (So you get about 2 ˝ hours of entertainment in the base package). The other bonus is really neat. It's a selection of seven "Student Films" from the three top Pixar directors: John Lassiter, Andrew Stanton and Pete Doctor. These were made in the late 1980s and each one (they run about six minutes each) is introduced by the Director. Some are just animated line drawings with sound while others are more fully realized and were shown in the Mike and Ike Animation festival. All were new to me and I found them fascinating and fun.
As to the "core dozen", there are both what I'll call "funny" and "serious" shorts and not all use the CGI method of animation. Two are offshoots of the film "UP". The first features Dug, the dog. It's okay. The other "George & AJ" shows that the senior, Carl (Ed Asner) in "Up" was not the only one who wanted to escape the retirement home. I liked that one.
There are two offshoots of "Cars" with the hayseed pickup, Mater, telling "tall tales". Clever.
"Toy Story" has two offshoots too and they are a hoot! "Hawaiian Vacation" does a real job on Barbie and Ken (especially Ken) as they try to leave the toy chest for Hawaii. The other "Small Fry" takes digs at Fast Food "meal deal prizes". Wonder where all those outdated toys from movie tie-ins that failed go? You (and Buzz Lightyear) will find out here.
"Day and Night" is a wordless piece - as is "Partly Cloudy" - and what I'll call the "serious" ones. This is a case where you'll get more out of it after you hear the commentary track.
While "Small Fry" was close in the "funniest short in the set", the hands-down winner is the opener: "Your Friend The Rat". Two characters from "Ratatouille" present - in about seven minutes - the "History of the Rat", just like the old Disney Educational cartoons of the 1950s did. Director Jim Capobianco uses 2-D, hand drawn animation as well as other "old school" techniques along with CGI in a short you'll watch a few time just to catch the jokes and clever satire.
As fellow reviewer N. Schoenfeld pointed out in his "review" (actually a "preview" since he had not yet seen the collection) the Bluray set is pricey, but I'm not reviewing price here. The images are sharp - even on my 30 year-old standard def TV screen - and there is an amazing amount of creativity here. The "Cars" and "Toy Story" shorts will appeal to small children (but they won't get a lot of the "inside" jokes"). They'll probably be bored with the "serious" ones and the less flashy "Student Films" too. But adults who love great animation will find a lot in this set to enjoy!
I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.
Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you like Pixar Shorts and want to watch them all in one place without popping discs in and out this is a great deal.
However, there are two ways this falls short of the first volume:
1) The first volume had some Pixar stuff that had never been collected along with specials/shorts from the various title discs. Everything on this disc is found elsewhere.
2) The first volume had a "Play All" option which was great for just popping the disc in and watching. This volume doesn't seem to have that feature - which means you have to keep selecting the next short to watch. My kids love watching these and I frequently popped the first disc in while working in the kitchen or on a drive to occupy them - and now this is no longer an option for the second volume.
However, there are two ways this falls short of the first volume:
1) The first volume had some Pixar stuff that had never been collected along with specials/shorts from the various title discs. Everything on this disc is found elsewhere.
2) The first volume had a "Play All" option which was great for just popping the disc in and watching. This volume doesn't seem to have that feature - which means you have to keep selecting the next short to watch. My kids love watching these and I frequently popped the first disc in while working in the kitchen or on a drive to occupy them - and now this is no longer an option for the second volume.
81 of 106 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Anyone who has seen Pixar shorts, knows how wonderful they are. The content on this disc is no exception. But this is a product review, so the value of the product as well as the film itself should be taken into account.
Considering this product is the price of a feature film release, and that there are 40 mins of content here, and 50+ mins of content on volume 1, I don't see the value here. It would be better if all shorts up until now were contained on one set, and with a greater amount of special features. (These special features do exist, but unfortunately you have to buy all of Pixar's feature films, along with their shorts, to get them all). I wouldn't be as critical, but Disney is notorious for releasing something, then re-releasing it, followed by a re-re-release a year later.
Considering this product is the price of a feature film release, and that there are 40 mins of content here, and 50+ mins of content on volume 1, I don't see the value here. It would be better if all shorts up until now were contained on one set, and with a greater amount of special features. (These special features do exist, but unfortunately you have to buy all of Pixar's feature films, along with their shorts, to get them all). I wouldn't be as critical, but Disney is notorious for releasing something, then re-releasing it, followed by a re-re-release a year later.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great DVD!
My husband is a Pixar fanatic and we absolutely love this next set of short films from them! Not to be missed if you're a Pixar fan.
Published 1 day ago by Elizabeth T Schultz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Family fun!
Bought this for my niece and nephew who are both hearing impaired. They loved it! And it's great because there arent many words so they are not missing auditory details. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Jen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pixar = guaranteed excellent kid flick
We own every single Pixar DVD and love them all. This shorts collection is possibly even better than the first - highly recommend!
Published 25 days ago by Kaui
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yes, they're on most Pixar films but..
It's so nice to have them in one place, and not have to dig out each DVD to see what you want (plus try to remember which short is attached to which feature!). Read more
Published 26 days ago by Hurley Girl's Mum
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good
I love all the Pixar movies. I like the shorts too, but never saw them as a group until I watched both this and their first collection. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Pam
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very entertaining
Kids and adults will enjoy - clever fresh animation. As good as the first - I recommend getting both, enjoy!
Published 1 month ago by A. A. Lorch
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost better than full length features.
The Pixar short two was some of the better stuff that I've seen come out of Pixar. It was very impressive. Read more
Published 1 month ago by heidi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Shorts
My 5 year old loves all of them, of course so does my wife, my 21 year old son and my 20 year old daughter!
Published 1 month ago by Rhyes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun!
Lots of creative cuteness! My grandchildren love it. Nice to have short stories to watch and be able to stop without interrupting story line
Published 1 month ago by Sheri Hershey
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing like Pixar Short Films
Must click each episode, it doesn't play from one episode to next, not as entertaining, fewer episodes. Very disappointing second collection.
Published 2 months ago by M. Stevens
