PIXAR SHORT FILMS COLLECTION: VOLUME 3 – A Blu-ray/DVD and Digital HD Review by John Strange
November 22, 1995 was a red letter day for me. It was the day Toy Story premiered to the world. It was our first exposure to the crazy talents that make up this wild company! Since then, movie after movie, they have continued to bring us excellent films with enduring stories and characters.
We get not only these amazing feature films, but equally amazing shorts preceding them! Who could ask for more! Starting with Toy Story where we also received Tin Toy (which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film) the shorts have continued to be as amazing as their feature brethren!
Best known of these shorts, For the Birds, came to us with Monsters, Inc. The short about birds on a wire grabbed our attention and gave us a lot of great laughs. For the Birds won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 2001.
Pixar has acknowledged our love of their short films with special offerings of groups of these animated jewels. My newest blu-ray review is Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3.
Volume three has eleven of the shorts plus two "mini-movies" and a short documentary on the making of Bao. Additionally we have introductions and director commentaries on all eleven shorts.
All of the shorts are outstanding but a few are super stars. Bao, Lou, and Lava each grabbed me. Bao is a sweet story of a mother's love without a single word of spoken dialogue. Lou is a story whose heart is one possible cause of why kids become bullies and how one such bully is redeemed. Lava is a love story with a great musical score and an ending that makes you smile.
I have to say that I loved ALL of the offerings. Each is different and amazing. The commentaries give us additional information that make them even better. Among the shorts we have films that are light-hearted, dark and scary, and love stories that make you sing along with the music.
The two mini-movies are fun and wildly different. While I like the Cars-related Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool, the Finding Dory-related Marine Life Interviews was my favorite. They nailed it.
This is a disk for all lovers of animation. I can't believe that I don't already have volumes 1 and 2! At an hour and sixteen minutes, the time spent is relatively low (about the same as watching a feature film) but the enjoyment is off the charts. This is a must have and I rate it at BRAND NEW on our scale.
Directors:
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Domee Shi, Dave Mullins, Alan Barillaro, Sanjay Patel, Josh Cooley, James Murphy, Rob Gibbs, Scott Morse, Kelsey Mann, Saschka Unseld, Mark Walsh, Brian Larsen
Cast:
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Brenton Schraff, Sunny Attar, Arun Rao, Jaquelynn Herrera, Lori Alan, Carlos Alazraqui, Lewis Black, Josh Cooley, Ben Cox, Kaitlyn Dias, Peter Docter, Flea , Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Sherry Lynn, Kyle MacLachlan, Laraine Newman, Paula Pell, Amy Poehler, Patrick Seltz, Phyllis Smith, Kuana Kahele, Napua Greig, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy , Steve Purcell, Jess Harnell, John Cygan, Danny Mann, Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, Lloyd Sherr, Katherine Helmond, John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Joel Murray, Charlie Day, Peter Sohn, Julia Sweeney, Nathan Fillion, Bobby Moynihan, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, James Ward, Cristina Pucelli, Sarah Jaffe, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn, Corey Burton, Tony Cox, Don Fullilove, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Emily Hahn, Lori Alan, John Ratzenberger, Timothy Dalton, Joan Cusack, Mark Walsh, Sherry Lynn, Lori Richardson, Julie Walters, Steve Purcell, Callum O'Neill
Short Films (with Run Times):
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Bao (7:43) – Theatrical release of Incredibles 2 (2018)
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Lou (6:43) – Theatrical release of Cars 3 (2017)
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Piper (6:05) – Theatrical release of Finding Dory (2016)
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Sanjay’s Super Team (7:04) – Theatrical release of The Good Dinosaur (2015)
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Riley’s First Date? (4:37) – In-home release of Inside Out (2015)
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Lava (7:09) – Theatrical release of Inside Out (2015)
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Radiator Springs 500 ½ (6:11) – An episode from Tales from Radiator Springs series (2014)
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The Blue Umbrella (6:44) – Theatrical release of Monsters University (2013)
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Party Central (5:30) – Theatrical release of Muppets Most Wanted (2013)
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Partysaurus Rex (6:32) – Theatrical release of Finding Nemo 3D (2012)
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Legend of Mor’du (6:48) – In-home release of Brave (2012)
Extras:
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Filmmaker Commentary – Each short’s filmmaker(s) will provide commentary on their film.
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Filmmaker Intros – Each short’s filmmaker(s) will provide an into to their film.
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Making Bao – Director Domee Shi shares her secret recipe for making an animated short – discussing how her rich cultural heritage, unique relationship with her mom and her love of food all informed the making of the food-fantasy Bao.
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Caricature: A Horrible Way of Saying ‘I Love You’ – At Pixar, the utmost sign of respect and admiration from your peers is to become a caricature. Take a look at some hilarious story artists’ representations of their colleagues.
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2 Mini-Movies – Marine Life Interviews & Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool
Specifications:
Runtime:
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76 Minutes
Studio:
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Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.
Release Date:
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11/13/2018
Region:
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A/1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Website:
MPAA Rating:
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G
Selig Rating:
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BRAND NEW
Selig Rating Scale:
BRAND NEW: Should add to your DVD collection at any cost
SALE ITEM: Worth owning, but try to catch it a sale
SECOND HAND: Plan to get it, but wait to buy it used
RENTAL: Worth taking a look at, but not owning
COASTER: Pick it up at a garage sale and use it for drinks
PULL!: Makes a great Trap Shooting target
