| Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover ofPixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1. | |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Home Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 54 minutes (2-8 minutes each short film) |
| Country | United States |
Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 is ahome video compilation released byWalt Disney Home Entertainment on November 6, 2007, containing 13 ofPixar's short films. It was followed byPixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2, which was released on November 13, 2012, andPixar Short Films Collection, Volume 3, which was released on November 13, 2018.
Commenting onPixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1,John Lasseter said:
I am really excited about finally coming out with a collection of the Pixar short films because these have been so much a part of the history of Pixar. The early short films beforeToy Story came out really shows the evolution and the focus of kind of the history of Pixar and the development of the technology, the development of me as a filmmaker and a storyteller, and then our continued dedication to creating short films afterToy Story and the coming out of, trying out of new talent and continuing the R&D research and stuff. And, for me, I love the short film because there are certain ideas that are perfect for short film that are not necessarily meant for a feature film. And it’s still worth doing.[1]
Lasseter hoped that audiences will get a "kick out" of each of the shorts included in the collection, stating: "I hope that they look at them and just are surprised by how funny they are. All I think except one are basically no dialogue. It’s like Chuck Jones said, ‘With great animation, you should be able to turn the sound off and still tell what’s going on.’ And I think they're these wonderful little gems and they're really entertaining. It shows also the ability of our filmmakers to be able to, in a short amount of time – one and half minutes to five minutes and without dialogue – still establish really memorable characters."[1]
The version ofKnick Knack included with this release was the censored version which was first released in 2003 with the cinema release ofFinding Nemo. The censored version removes the exaggerated breasts on the woman on the "Miami" knick knack and on the mermaid sitting on the rock in the fish bowl.John Lasseter defended these changes by saying "It wasn't big bad Disney coming in and insisting we do this... it was our own choice. It was just crossing the line for me personally as a father. So I made the decision to reduce [these characters'] breast size."[2]
Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 received acclaim from contemporary critics. The film review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of critics have given the compilation a positive review based on 5 reviews, with a perfect score of 10/10.[3]
Kevin Carr of 7M Pictures wrote that "with how affordable DVDs are to rent", there are few that he would recommend as a "must-buy", citingPixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 as an exception, "considering the wealth of entertainment and historical value" it contains.[4] Carr explained that while he loved the Pixar theatrical films immensely, "one of the extra bonuses of seeing them is the short films they always tag on the beginning".[4] He revealed that he enjoyed watching the short films "almost as much" as the films itself and that the short films attached to later DVD releases were "equally as fun to watch".[4] Carr expressed his hopes for Pixar to be around for "many years to come" and continue to provide "some of the best animated entertainment ever seen".[4] He concluded his review by stating that it is "going to be too long to wait for thePixar Short Film Collection: Volume II, but I guess we'll just have to be patient."[4]
Writing for Movie Metropolis, John J. Puccio declared that while those who have previously collected Pixar's full-length feature films on home video will already own some of the shorts featured onPixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1, it's "nice to have all of them collected together in one spot".[5] He wrote that "they're worth having, if for no other reasons than because they chronicle the history of the studio so well and because the Pixar filmmakers execute some of them as brilliantly as they do any of their main attractions".[5] According to Puccio, there is no doubt that the later Pixar shorts are "among the finest cartoons ever made".[5] He wrote that while the earlier ones are also "interesting and certainly innovative", they don't "bear repeat viewing as much".[5] Puccio declared that if there were any negatives about the collection, it would be its length, but stated that "it makes one wonder what Volume 2 will bring our way in a few more years".[5] Writing forThe A.V. Club, Tasha Robinson declaredPixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 to display the "stunning progress" that Pixar has made in turningcomputer animation into a "rich artistic medium".[6] Robinson cited the collection as "an informative, touching 23-minute pocket history of Pixar."[6]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Adventures of André & Wally B. | Alvy Ray Smith | Alvy Ray Smith | July 25, 1984 (1984-07-25) |
| 2 | Luxo Jr. | John Lasseter | John Lasseter | August 17, 1986 (1986-08-17) |
| 3 | Red's Dream | John Lasseter | John Lasseter | July 10, 1987 (1987-07-10) |
| 4 | Tin Toy | John Lasseter | John Lasseter | August 2, 1988 (1988-08-02) |
| 5 | Knick Knack | John Lasseter | John Lasseter | September 1, 1989 (1989-09-01) |
| 6 | Geri's Game | Jan Pinkava | Jan Pinkava | November 24, 1997 (1997-11-24) |
| 7 | For the Birds | Ralph Eggleston | Ralph Eggleston | June 5, 2000 (2000-06-05) |
| 8 | Mike's New Car | Pete Docter and Roger L. Gould | Pete Docter,Jeff Pidgeon, Roger L. Gould and Robert Gibbs | September 17, 2002 (2002-09-17) |
| 9 | Boundin' | Bud Luckey | Bud Luckey | December 2003 (2003-12) |
| 10 | Jack-Jack Attack | Brad Bird | Mark Andrews, Robert Gibbs,Teddy Newton and Bosco Ng | March 15, 2005 (2005-03-15) |
| 11 | One Man Band | Andrew Jimenez and Mark Andrews | Andrew Jimenez and Mark Andrews | June 11, 2005 (2005-06-11) |
| 12 | Lifted | Gary Rydstrom | Gary Rydstrom | October 12, 2006 (2006-10-12) |
| 13 | Mater and the Ghostlight | John Lasseter | Joe Ranft, John Lasseter andDan Scanlon | November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07) |
Included as a supplement are 4 shorts made forSesame Street, "Surprise", "Light and Heavy", "Up and Down", and "Front and Back" in 1991.[7] As a easter egg, thepencil test version ofLuxo Jr. is found in the "Short Films" menu by clicking the yellow Luxo Jr. icon below the icon to access theBoundin' short film.
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | October 4, 2007 | DVD[8] |
| October 9, 2007 | Blu-ray[9] | |
| Canada | November 6, 2007 | Blu-ray[10] |
| DVD[11] | ||
| United States | Blu-ray[12] | |
| DVD[13] | ||
| United Kingdom | November 26, 2007 | DVD (rental copy) |
| Blu-ray (rental copy) | ||
| France | December 5, 2007 | DVD |
| Blu-ray | ||
| Australia | December 19, 2007 | DVD |
| Blu-ray | ||
| United Kingdom | February 11, 2008 | DVD[14] |
| Blu-ray[15] | ||
| June 23, 2008 | DVD[16] | |
| June 30, 2008 | Blu-ray[17] | |
| Canada[18] | October 4, 2011 | Blu-ray + DVD |
| United States[19] | ||
| Canada | October 9, 2011 | Disney Movies Anywhere (reduced version; "Lifted" not included) |
| United States |
The compilation made its television premiere onABC Family on December 2, 2009. In order to fill a two-hour timeslot with commercials, additional shorts were added to the compilation, includingPresto (2008),BURN-E (2008), the first threeMater's Tall Tales shorts,Your Friend the Rat (2007), and a fewToy Story Treats interstitials.[20] An opening title screen and closing credits were also added.
