Movie News

All 20 Original Pixar Shorts, Ranking – Part One

Published

3 years ago

August 31, 2020

Part one of two – Our Pixar Shorts ranked

This is our Pixar shorts ranking. We’ve grown up loving their cinematic releases, but the original shorts often played before their features, can get overlooked. Many of these shorts have the passion and heart behind them that evokes memories from old Disney and Looney Tunes shorts shown before a film.

We’ve compiled a definitive ranking of all 20 of their original shorts, from worst to best. While shorts can featuring some of Pixar’s beloved characters like Mater and the Ghost Light and Mikes New Car can be hilarious, they’re not quite original enough for this list so we’ve excluded any featuring characters with their own feature-length films.

20. The Adventures of André & Wally B.

1984, shown with Toy Story
Unfortunately, not all of Pixar’s short films have aged the same, and their very first released short film might just be their worst. This is the first entry in our Pixar shorts ranking. While not awful in any sense, it really isn’t much of anything at all. A man, André, finds a bee and runs away. Unlike every other Pixar short well see on this list, this one lacks any kind of inventive concept or interesting storytelling. It might be neat as a novelty of where the animation studio began, but its age lands it at the bottom of the list.

19. Knick Knack

1989, shown with Finding Nemo
This one started the trend that a lot of Pixar short films end up falling into, and it seems the least original or inventive: Two otherwise inanimate Objects falling in love or trying to be together. While cute at first, it doesn’t feel as original as many of the other concepts get, and this one is probably the most simple of them all. The catchy music was written by Bobby McFerrin definitely makes it enjoyable to watch, but there’s not much more here.

18. Tin Toy

1988, a cameo in Toy Story 4
Another of the Disney subsidiary’s first animated short films, Tin Toy is the proto-Toy Story, as it was produced a good while before and the concept shows through. A toy being alive and trying to get the attention of its owner is charming enough, especially considering its age, but the real star of the show is that early-3d animation baby. Maybe the ugliest baby in animated movie history, it definitely steals the show and at least makes the short memorable.

17. Piper

2016, shown with Finding Dory
Playing before Finding Dory, it feels clear that Pixar wanted to make use of the ocean creature theme they already had going for this one. While definitely very cute, Piper doesn’t quite offer anything too memorable or notable compared to a lot of the other shorts in this ranking. An alright story and cute characters definitely make it feel easier to watch than some of the earlier shorts, but there’s just not much here you can’t see in a nature documentary.

16. The Blue Umbrella

2013, shown with Monsters University
This one is kind of difficult to position in our Pixar shorts ranking. On the one hand, it really is one of the most visually impressive Pixar shorts. The animation style feels almost photo-realistic, and the way the objects in the city move feels incredibly believable and charming for inanimate stoplights and vents. On the other though, this is one of the most boring animated shorts story-wise. The theme of two inanimate objects falling in love is at its most eye-rolling here, to the point where it feels like a commercial for an umbrella brand rather than a short film.

15. Luxo Jr.

1986, shown with Toy Story 2
This was the first time we really started to see original and charming concepts played within animation for Pixar. Not only are all the sound effects and characters in this short instantly recognizable, even to those who’ve never seen it before, but it introduces these odd concepts in a way that feels organic and really makes you feel like that baby lamp is just a cute little thing. It definitely feels like The Start of Pixar’s filmography over Andre & Wally B.

14. Reds Dream

1987
One of the first shorts to really embrace creative and silly concepts in an incredibly earnest manner, Reds Dream is just a joy to watch and a really cute point on the timeline of these films. While again, as in Tin Toy, Pixar hadn’t quite mastered making humans look non-creepy, seeing the Unicycle have hopes and dreams of being a performer all on its own just warms your heart.

13. Boundin

2003, shown with The Incredibles
Definitely one of the most different films out of the entire catalogue, Boundin feels somewhat out of place. If this was a Dreamworks or Illumination short film, it wouldn’t feel that way at all, but as a Pixar short, it definitely seems quite odd in its tone and setting. Still fun and cute, especially with its fun cryptid cameos, but that’s all it is.

12. For the Birds

2000, shown with Monsters, Inc.
This was the first time the animation in these shorts came up to par with the animation in Pixar’s features, and it shows in how the birds are all animated with their feathers fluffed up. Like many other middle of the road Pixar shorts, there’s not much to offer story-telling wise, just a cute simple story of birds with prejudice and their eventual comeuppance.

11. Lava

2014, shown with Inside Out
Another short of two inanimate objects falling in love, this one might just be the best of that shared idea, as the individual Volcanoes life cycles and geology come into play to bring these two together. While the lava pun might be a little cheesy, as is the story, it at least feels like a different point of view for these kinds of love stories, taking us away from the usual setting of cities and rooms into somewhere new and more visually interesting.

Read the final part of our list HERE.

Do you have a different opinion on Pixar shorts ranking so far? Do you agree or disagree with our list or have anything to add? If so, leave us a comment below.

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9 Bands You Forgot Played Themselves In Movies

Published

1 year ago

January 4, 2022

Aaron Phillips

Wayne's World image — _{Paramount Pictures}

There are more bands than you think that played themselves on the big screen. Here are nine bands you might’ve forgotten appeared in movies.

1. Alice Cooper – Wayne’s World (1992)

Being a teenager in the nineties was great for many reasons. Two of those being the release of the Wayne’s World movies. The genius that is Mike Myers created one of the best music-based films of all time. Plus, he convinced one of the greatest rock musicians of all time to be in it. If you’re not a geek like me, you may have forgotten that Alice Cooper was featured in the film. It had the iconic scene of Wayne and Garth meeting, Alice, backstage on bent knees. We’re not worthy, indeed. Alice himself pulls off the diva Rockstar brilliantly, even though he’s a genuine, down-to-earth guy who plays a lot of golf.

2. Primus – Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

Let’s try and erase the recent Bill & Ted movie from our memory and head back to 1991 for their bogus journey. They come from the future to kill the non-robot versions of themselves and ruin their performance at a Battle of the Bands competition. What’s cool is the band who are playing before them. Californian alt-metal kings Primus. Although the clip is only short, they play themselves and sound as you would expect. Epic.

3. Fall Out Boy – Sex Drive (2008)

You’d be forgiven for forgetting about this one. The teen sex comedy from 2008 is forgettable and won’t really appeal to anyone apart from its teen target audience. If you can sit through all the cringe-inducing moments, you will spot pop-rockers Fall Out Boy. They are performing in a barn in front of some drunk Amish teenagers. There’s a reason for that, but I won’t bore you with it here. What is good, is the soundtrack of the film. As well as Fall Out Boy, it features Airbourne, AC/DC and weirdly, Kenny Loggins.

4. Twisted Sister – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

Paul Reuben’s character Pee Wee Herman made his big-screen outing in 1985. The children’s show star had a scene where he is being chased through a studio parking lot. Unbeknown to him, glam rockers Twisted Sister are recording a music video on a car. Lead singer Dee Snider is always up for a laugh, so it’s no surprise they’re featured. The clip is brilliant. Pee Wee’s prop-laden bike is just about to crash into Twisted Sister and the look on Dee’s face is genius. Go check out the clip.

5. David Bowie – Zoolander (2001)

Who can forget the brilliant Zoolander? Starring Ben Stiller as the dippy model, it’s one of the funniest comedies ever made. One of the best scenes of the film is the walk-off. This involved Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson’s characters doing a catwalk-off. Of sorts. Can you remember who refereed it? The legend himself, David Bowie. It’s not the first time Bowie was in a movie – remember Labyrinth? But this time, he plays himself. And does it with all the cool swagger you would expect.

6. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Clueless (1995)

I can’t say that I was a massive fan of this teen comedy at the time. The plot revolves around Alicia Silverstone’s character giving her friend a makeover. The premise doesn’t sound like it lends itself to a cool band cameo. You’d be wrong, though. There’s a scene where the lead characters go watch a gig. The band that are playing are The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The Boston ska-punk legends are only on stage for a moment, but it’s a slick clip. It certainly brings the film up a level on the cool stakes.

7. Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy (2010)

This sequel to the original sci-fi classic is a cracking movie. The visuals and effects are stunning, as is the atmosphere of the film. The music to the film is also rather special. A futuristic and dystopian movie could only have one act doing the score, and that’s Daft Punk. It works a treat. The music is intertwined into the movie and becomes a part of it. The delicious electronica is the perfect complement to the visuals. The French electronic masters also have a cameo at the end of the movie. They’re spinning the decks in a blink-and-you-miss-it scene.

8. Aerosmith – Wayne’s World (1993)

We’ve already had an appearance from the first film further up our list, and the second doesn’t disappoint either. The plot revolves around Wayne and Garth putting on their own music festival. Book them and they will come, is the advice given. And they certainly did. The headline band for the festival were none other than Aerosmith themselves. They do a sterling effort on stage as performers. And Steven Tyler also shows that he can handle his own on the acting front too.

9. Reel Big Fish – BASEketball (1998)

Trey Parker and Matt Stone star in this bizarre and hilarious sports comedy. Written by the king of spoof David Zucker, it’s become a cult classic. The soundtrack heavily features ska-punkers Reel Big Fish. They do a brilliant rendition of A-HA’s Take on Me, which they also perform in the movie. The band are the entertainment at the stadium where Parker and Stone are competing. You can tell by the footage that the band are clearly enjoying themselves. They add a touch more fun to an already hugely funny film.

That’s our list of nine bands who played themselves in movies. Did we miss any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments below.

Check out our list of actors in bands HERE.