If you were around when computer animation was new and uncharted territory and you were interested at all in computer animation and the companies that were pioneering this new and exciting art form, then Pixar Short Films: Volume 1 is pure nostalgia gold. If you are too young to remember these groundbreaking films or simply didn't get interested in computer animation until more recently, Pixar Short Films: Volume 1 provides a fascinating look at the history of computer animation and the company that shaped this nascent industry.
Pixar Short Films: Volume 1 has 13 different Pixar shorts in one place. You get: The Adventures of Andre & Wally B., Luxo Jr., Red's Dream, Tin Toy, Knick Knack, Geri's Game, For The Birds, Mike's New Car (with Mike and Sulley from Monsters, Inc.), Boundin', Jack-Jack Attack (with Jack-Jack from The Incredibles), One Man Band, Mater And The Ghostlight (with Mater, the tow truck from Cars) and Lifted.
The most popular of these shorts has to be Luxo Jr.. This short focuses on the playful curiosity of a very energetic young desk lamp. While the graphical quality was groundbreaking for its time, the aspect that really captured the hearts of the audience was that computer generated inanimate objects were not only given motion, but imbued with emotions. In fact, as can be seen in one of the secret bonus films, the emotions are conveyed even when the film is shown with wire-frame rendering. There are four Sesame Street computer animated skits in the special features that feature Luxo Jr. By the way, Luxo Jr. should be familiar looking; he's become a mascot and logo for Pixar, replacing the "i" in Pixar in their credit screens before their films.
It is worth mentioning that not all of these shorts have happy endings. Red's Dream, for example, is about a unicycle in a bicycle shop and it's dreams of performing in a circus. Alas, it is only a dream, and he returns, depressed, to a corner of the shop at the end of the short. During part of the commentary, one of the folks from Pixar refers to Red's Dream as being from Pixar's "Blue Period."
One of my favorites was One Man Band, which features a couple of down-on-their-luck one-man-bands competing for a small girl's gold coin. This one is a very musical short, and in the end, the little girl has the last laugh, as she's quite the performer, herself, and leaves the two working together in an attempt to retrieve a couple of coins from the top of a fountain.
As an extra bonus, there are four Sesame Street skits featuring Luxo Jr. and three secret bonus shorts that were intended as tech demos. To find these, look around in the menus and watch for the symbol of a flag, a chair or a Luxo lamp. Hint: when looking for these secret bonus films, just keep, "looking up." While tech geeks will appreciate these more than typical movie-goers will, the extra bonus film that wasn't included on the DVD version may have broader appeal; it's a wire-frame rendered version of Luxo Jr., complete with sound. It's amazing to see how expressive this film is, even without the detailed rendering.
If you're a fan of computer animation, the only question is what media to get Pixar Short Films: Volume 1 on; DVD or Blu-ray. And to that, I would suggest getting the highest resolution your entertainment system can handle; the higher resolution really looks amazing, if your hardware can use it properly. I would definitely recommend the Blu-ray version over the DVD version, if you have Blu-ray capability. And, while I can't say that this one movie is enough reason to run out and buy a Blu-ray player or a PS3, it is worth adding to your list of considerations. Pixar Short Films: Volume 1 on Blu-ray is an excellent showpiece to show off your home theater setup.
When trying to decide on a score for Pixar Short Films: Volume 1 on DVD, I asked Psibabe what her thoughts were. As she said, "The only thing that was wrong with it was there wasn't more." I guess that means that since the Blu-ray version includes an additional secret bonus film, it is perfect.
