| SparkShorts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Pixar |
| Original work | Purl (2019) |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Years | 2019–2024 |
| Films and television | |
| Short film(s) | |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | See below |
SparkShorts is a series of Americanindependentanimatedshort films produced byPixar Animation Studios. It consists of a program in which Pixar's employees are given six months and limited budgets to develop animated short films that were originally released on Pixar'sYouTube channel, and later onDisney+.
Producer Lindsey Collins confirmed thatSparkShorts replaced the need to pair short films with theatrical films; admitting that she felt "torn" over the decision.[1]
Purl, the first short of theSparkShorts program, was released atSIGGRAPH on August 14, 2018, while the next two shorts,Smash and Grab andKitbull, were both given alimited release at theEl Capitan Theater on January 8, 2019, alongside the former.Purl was officially released on February 4, 2019, on YouTube whileSmash and Grab andKitbull were released on February 11 and 18, respectively. Subsequent shorts were released on November 12, 2019, on Disney+, beginning withFloat, rather than on YouTube.
Pixar first announced theSparkShorts program on January 18, 2019.[2] The program consists of giving employees at Pixar six months and a limited budget to developindie short films, all of them based on personal experiences.[3] The program was developed in order to find new filmmakers at Pixar.[3] Bobby Rubio, writer/director of theSparkShort filmFloat, described the program as "different film from the kinds of films" developed at Pixar, while Lindsey Collins said that the shorts are referred to asSparkShorts because Pixar "[wants] to discover that creative spark" in its employees.[3] Jim Morris said: "The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows", adding that it "[provides] an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than [Pixar's] normal fare".[4]
| # | Film | Release date | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Executive producer(s) | Editor(s) | Composer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screenplay | Story | ||||||||
| 1 | Purl | February 4, 2019 (2019-02-04) | Kristen Lester | Michael Daley, Bradley Furnish, Lester & James Robertson | Gillian Libbert-Duncan | Lindsey Collins | Furnish | Pinar Toprak | |
| 2 | Smash and Grab | February 11, 2019 (2019-02-11) | Brian Larsen | David Lally | Lindsey Collins, Mary Alice Drumm &Dana Murray | Nicole Vanderneut | Barney Jones | ||
| 3 | Kitbull | February 18, 2019 (2019-02-18) | Rosana Sullivan | Kathryn Hendrickson | Lindsey Collins | Katie Schaefer Bishop | Andrew Jimenez | ||
| 4 | Float | November 12, 2019 (2019-11-12) | Bobby Rubio | Krissy Cababa[5] | Gregory Amundson | Jones[5] | |||
| 5 | Wind | December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13) | Edwin Chang | Jesús MartÍnez | Tim Fox | Jimenez | |||
| 6 | Loop | January 10, 2020 (2020-01-10) | Erica Milsom | Adam Burke, Matthias De Clercq & Milsom | Michael Warch & Krissy Cababa[6] | Jason Brodkey | Mark Orton[6] | ||
| 7 | Out | May 22, 2020 (2020-05-22) | Steven Clay Hunter | Max Sachar | Lindsey Collins & David Lally | Noah Newman | Jake Monaco | ||
| 8 | Burrow | December 25, 2020 (2020-12-25) | Madeline Sharafian | Mike Capbarat | Anna Wolitzky | N/a | |||
| 9 | Twenty Something | September 10, 2021 (2021-09-10) | Aphton Corbin | Erik Langley | Nicole Paradis Grindle & Micheal K. O'Brien | Amera Rizk | ASTU | ||
| 10 | Nona | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | Louis Gonzales | Mike Wu | Courtney Casper Kent | Jennifer Jew | Cristy Road Carrera | ||
| 11 | Self | February 2, 2024 (2024-02-02) | Searit Kahsay Huluf | Eric Rosales | Andrew Beall &Katherine Sarafian | Will Starling | Jennifer Rowekamp | ||
Ananthropomorphic ball ofyarn named Purl becomes the first ball of yarn to work at a company called B.R.O. Capital, but is discriminated against by her human coworkers. Purl promptly changes her appearance and personality in order to fit in, but soon finds out it may not be the best idea to do so.
Set on a futuristicMars-like planet, two workerrobots, named Smash and Grab respectively, must fight their way to freedom after choosing to escape from their exhausting work routine.
An independentkitten forms an unlikely friendship with an abusedpit bull, whom he eventually chooses to help escape from his owners.
This short accompaniedTurning Red's 2024 U.S. theatrical release.[7]
Upon discovering his son's ability to fly, a father tries to hide his son's ability from the world. When his son's ability eventually becomes public though, the father must choose between going on the run or accepting his son.[4]
A grandmother and her grandson find themselves scavengingdebris after being trapped together in an endless chasm, and soon realize their dream of escaping.[8]
A non-verbal girl withautism and a chatty boy must learn to understand each other in order to fulfill a canoeing trip in an urban lake during summer camp.[8]
A young gay man who hasnot yet come out to his parents unexpectedly has his mindmagically swapped with his dog's.
A young rabbit tries to build the burrow of her dreams, becoming embarrassed each time she accidentally digs into a neighbor's home.
This short was originally intended to receive a wide theatrical release alongside Pixar's feature-length filmSoul.[9][10] While the theatrical release of both the short and feature were cancelled in countries whereDisney+ was available,Burrow still played theatrically beforeSoul in countries where Disney+ was not available in December 2020.[11] The short would play again beforeSoul for its U.S. theatrical release in 2024.[7]
The film examines the challenges and insecurities of 'adulting.' Some days you're nailing it, while other days, you're just a stack of kids hiding in a trench coat, hoping no one notices. The film's protagonist is Gia, who finds herself in this exact scenario the night of her 21st birthday.[12]
A widowed grandmother named Nona plans to spend her day off by shutting out the world to watch her favorite TV show, E.W.W. Smashdown Wrestling. However, when her five-year-old granddaughter Renee is unexpectedly dropped off, Nona is caught between her two favorite things. Renee wants to play, while the normally-doting Nona wrestles with wanting to watch the Smashdown, leading to a decisive showdown between the two, and a loving compromise.[12]
A wooden doll who desperately wants to fit in makes an ill-fated wish upon a star, sparking a journey of self-discovery. Her desire to blend in with her peers leads her down a harmful path, challenging her perspective of both who she is and where she belongs. This film is Pixar's first hybrid stop-motion animation.[13][14]
| List of awards and nominations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Film | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | February 9, 2020 | Best Animated Short Film | Kitbull | Nominated | [15] |
| April 25, 2021 | Out | Shortlisted | [16] | ||
| Burrow | Nominated | [17][18] | |||
Purl was praised by many as an allegory forgender inequality andfeminism,[19][20][21][22] which Meghan Mehta ofStudy Breaks noted was "mature for Pixar's target audience".[23] Alex Reif ofLaughing Place said thatSmash and Grab is "[a] story about two workers who don't get the same luxuries as those who control them".[24] Nick Skillicorn ofIdea to Value felt that theSparkShorts program "enables the staff to flex their creative muscles in new ways, and try ideas which would never be accepted into a feature-length film aimed at families".[25]
| Title | U.S. release date | Composer(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purl (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | March 15, 2019 (2019-03-15) | Pinar Toprak | Walt Disney Records |
| Smash and Grab (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | April 5, 2019 (2019-04-05) | Barney Jones | |
| Kitbull (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | April 23, 2019 (2019-04-23) | Andrew Jimenez | |
| Float (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | February 28, 2020 (2020-02-28) | Barney Jones | |
| Wind (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Andrew Jimenez | ||
| Loop (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Mark Orton | ||
| Out (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | July 3, 2020 (2020-07-03) | Jake Monaco | |
| Burrow (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | December 25, 2020 (2020-12-25) | N/a | |
| Twenty Something (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | September 10, 2021 (2021-09-10) | ASTU | |
| Nona (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | Cristy Road Carrera | |
| Self (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | February 2, 2024 (2024-02-02) | Jennifer Rowekamp |
On January 29, 2020, Disney announced that an untitled documentary series focusing on theSparkShorts series was in development forDisney+.[26] The series, which provided "an immersive look at the next generation of Pixar filmmaker[s]", was executive-produced byBrian McGinn, Jason Sterman andDavid Gelb.[26] On July 21, 2021, it was reported that the project was being redeveloped as a docu-film under the nameA Spark Story, with McGinn, Sterman, and Gelb producing.[12] Sterman also directed the film alongside Leanne Dare.[12] Pixar produced the project alongside Supper Club.[12] The documentary, charting the production of then-recentSparkShortsTwenty Something andNona, was released on September 24, 2021.[27]
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