Pixar Short Films Volume 1

directed by various directors
USA 1984

Pixar Short Films Vol. 1 is the first collection of short movies that Pixar Animation Studios produced. Vol. 1 begins in 1984 with “The Adventures of Andre and Wally B.” and ends in 2007 with “Lifted”. Some of these shorts were created for the short-films market, but many of them began appearing before Pixar features in movie theatres. With the explosion of DVD extras came short films that were created specifically to augment a feature film’s debut on home video.

Some of these shorts--especially “Geri’s Game”--are quite sublime, but others are best viewed in specific contexts. For example, “Mike’s New Car” (featuring characters from Monsters, Inc.) and “Jack-Jack Attack” (featuring characters from The Incredibles) are sequels/attachments, so they don’t quite work as stand-alone pieces. If I had my druthers, then I would’ve kept pieces like “Mike’s New Car” and “Jack-Jack Attack” out of this DVD.

DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Buena Vista - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Yunda Eddie Feng for the Review!

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Distribution
Buena Vista

Region 1 - NTSC

Runtime 54 mins

Video
various Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 8.7 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate

Audio DD 5.1 English or DD 2.0 English

Subtitles Optional English, French, Spanish

Features Release Information:
Studio: Buena Vista
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - various

Edition Details:
• audio commentaries
• The Pixar Shorts: A Short History
• Sesame Street shorts
• previews for other movies

DVD Release Date: 6 November 2007
keepcase with cardboard slipcover

Chapters 13

Comments:

Video:
The shorts are presented in a variety of aspect ratios, from 1.33:1 to 2.35:1; the bitrate varies, too, with the highest averaging 8.7 mbps. The quality varies depending on the shorts’ ages, though what you’re seeing is mostly a function of the available computer technology (and possibly videotape recording sources) of when each short was made. The newer pieces are generally excellent, though surprisingly, you can see the use of interlaced video in some instances (most notably “For the Birds”).

Audio:
The audio is either DD 5.1 English or DD 2.0 English depending on what mixes were originally created for the shorts. The newer pieces are of the high-quality that we’ve come to associate with Pixar releases, though some of the older pieces have limited dynamic range.

You can also watch the short films with DD 2.0 surround French or Spanish dubs. Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other movies.

Most of the shorts have audio commentaries, with the filmmakers briefly explaining their inspirations and methodologies.

“The Pixar Shorts: A Short History” is an excellent overview of Pixar’s beginnings. As the featurette makes clear, without some of these short films, there would not have been a Toy Story or a Finding Nemo.

You also get four shorts that were created for Sesame Street.

Easter Eggs: In the Audio and Subtitles menus, click on a hidden flag and a chair to view two additional shorts made in the 1980s. These shorts were tests for rendering techniques.

--Miscellaneous--
You get an insert with chapter listings as well as a cardboard slipcover over the standard keepcase.

- Yunda Eddie Feng

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