Shorts (Top 10)

Short cartoons used to be huge back when animation was a new thing, unfortunately over the years live-action became the more popular type of video entertainment and short anything just wasn't "in" anymore. But then we began to discover a new form of animation called CGI. Particularly one company explored it, Pixar Animation Studios. They experimented with this new-found animation by making a short film, The Tin Toy (which later inspired them to make the first full length CGI film, Toy Story).

Since The Tin Toy, Pixar has made so many other shorts and full length movies using CGI. Other studios have caught on to the use of CGI, and the animation and effects have improved vastly. It's amazing! Now, it's a common thing for Pixar and Disney to put a short film before their full length movies. I always look forward to the short just as much as the actual movie. I love the animation, the stories, the music, the creativity, and so on.

Here I have complied a list of my top ten (from both Disney and Pixar):

10) Day and Night

This one came out in 2010 with Toy Story 3. I just really like the animation in it. I like how the two characters (Night and Day) look 2-D, but the background is 3-D. Then just the way they jump around and it switches every time. It's sort of hard to describe, but I love how it looks. I like thinking about all the different, fun/amazing things there are to see and do in the night and the day. It's a very creative idea. I love the sunset/sunrise at the end that just completes the short in a full circle.

9) Lava

The most recent short that came out with Inside-Out. I found the concept sort of… odd. A volcano in love? But I was able to move past it because of the catchy little song on the ukelele. What really blew me away though was the animation. Wow! Especially when the "times goes by" and you see the clouds rolling past. It's incredible! "Someone to lava" XD.

8) Lifted

This one came out in 2006 with Ratatouille (I remember because I thought that the guy in the bed was Linguini). This one cracks me up because I just love some good slapstick. Whether you're laughing at the poor alien trying to pass his "driver's" test, or the other alien who's just sitting there like -___- with his clipboard, or the guy in the house who's getting whipped around like a rag doll and still somehow never wakes up. It's such a hilarious setup.

7) Geri’s Game

A classic. It came out in 1997 with A Bug's Life. The animation is not so superb compared to the others since it's one of the earlier ones, and the idea isn't such an original one, but I still really like it. It's so cleverly edited that it actually seems like there are two different people. Unlike a lot of versions of this set up where it's one person playing against himself, you don't see him going back and forth (once it's established what he's doing). It's funny how he creates two completely different characters by taking off his glasses for one of them. I just find it very entertaining.

6) For the Birds

This one was released in 2000 with Monsters Inc. It totally cracks me up and I'm not entirely sure why. All it is is a few birds sitting on a telephone wire and snubbing a giant goofy looking bird. I guess it's just the stupid squeaky sounds that the birds make, you can't help, but laugh at it.

5) Tangled Ever After

The first sequel-short to be released in 2012 with the release of Beauty and the Beast 3-D. I was so excited for this one because I am a HUGE fan of Tangled, and I was so looking forward to seeing Rapunzel and Flynn/Eugene's wedding. I was not disappointed in the least. I loved all the little details in there, I don't think I could list them all. The main plot was great too with the slapstick as we followed Max and Pascal as they chased the rings through the kingdom. Very funny and entertaining! "Those were my grandmother's wedding rings!" "The kingdom is lost!" *castle explodes*

4) Frozen Fever

With the mind-blowing success of Frozen, of course Disney was going to make a short for it like they did for Tangled. It was released in 2015 with the live-action version of Cinderella. We were not disappointed. I loved it! I loved the super catchy song, the little snowgies were pretty creative, and actually giving Jonathan Groff a moment to shine (even if it was just for a moment), it just makes you think "dang! Why doesn't he sing more often?". (Maybe a SPOILER?: and I laughed SO hard at the snowball hitting Hans).

3) Boundin’

This one came out in 2003 with The Incredibles. I don't even know where they would have got this idea, but I love it! The tap-dancing dancing sheep, I crack up every time. And how it's all in rhyme and goes with the music. I cannot! It's too awesome! A jackalope? What even? And the the sheep! (I said that didn't I?) But seriously! It's too hilariously awesome!

2) Get a Horse!

This one came out with Frozen in 2013. I loved that Disney got back to its roots with an old Mickey Mouse cartoon. But what I was more impressed with was the animation. Yes! Wow! Especially at the part where they keep running in and out of the screen in a circle, so it keeps changing from 2-D and black and white to 3-D and color super fast. And how they play with the screen; rewind, replay, upside-down, etc. it's genius! I love how true they stay to the animation of the super old Mickey cartoons, even when they're outside the screen. Did you know that all the dialogue is from the actual old cartoons? Nothing new was recorded. So that's actually Walt Disney doing Mickey's voice. :D

1) Paperman

My all-time favorite! This one came out in 2012 with Wreck-It Ralph. Everything about this short is incredible! It's traditional 2-D animation over 3-D CGI, so it gives it such an interesting look. I love that it's black and white and silent, giving you more focus on the animation, the story, and the music (I will get to that in a moment). I love the sweet and simple story. It draws you in and you become so invested despite the fact that nobody talks in such a short amount of time. That is hard to do. Most of all, I love the music! Ahh! It is SO amazing! Magical, sweet, uplifting… it completely sets the tone of the short. I will sometimes just watch it when I'm having a bad day to make myself feel better. It does not disappoint.