Top 10 Pixar Shorts

As you may’ve noticed from some of their feature films, Pixar has a gift for making us empathize with inanimate objects. In this lovely short, the animators put a face on an umbrella, in addition to a mailbox, a drainpipe, and pretty much everything else - except for actual people. This blue umbrella can wear a smile even on a dreary day. He’s instantly drawn to the equally sunny red umbrella, although their owners are going in opposite directions. No storm can rain on their parade, however. With eye-popping colors, soothing music, and a lively environment, it’s a romance sure to brighten your day.

Several years before making a movie about living toys, Pixar made this short about living knickknacks. Like our previous entry, this short tells the story of two lovebirds trying to come together. Of course we’re not entirely sure how a snowman and a bikini babe would make it work. In any case, this snowman is hell-bent on escaping from his icy prison and getting to warmer climates. This setup leads to some of the most hilarious slapstick since the days of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery, resulting in a perfect comedic payoff. Did we mention this coincidentally premiered the same year as “The Little Mermaid?”

Drawing inspiration from the works of Hayao Miyazaki and Osvaldo Cavandoli, “La Luna” has the essence of a timeless fable. The short sets itself on a starlit night as three generations take a trip to the moon. A spaceship isn’t required to reach the big, beaming beauty in the sky, though. All it takes is a really, really tall ladder. From there, we get a highly imaginative explanation regarding what causes the moon’s changing phases. Creating its own unique logic, this is a wonderful bedtime story of sorts that’ll give all ages pleasant dreams.

“Lifted” explores the concept of alien abduction from a Driver’s Ed perspective. The story centers on an alien student abductor who has a little trouble on his first flight. Unable to tell one switch on his control panel from another, he ends up giving a slumbering farmer a rather rough close encounter. It’s impossible not to crack up every time the alien flicks another switch, sending his target bumping around like a pinball. With a clever setup and hysterical physical humor, this Pixar short will make you laugh until it hurts.

In this Oscar-winning short, the birds in question are mostly jerks that don’t like outsiders perching on their power line. The blue bullies are naturally turned off when a lanky bird wanders onto their turf. Honking and taking up their personal space, they decide to give the dorky big bird a good pecking. You know what they say: birds of a feather flock together. In the end, though, these mean birdies are left with no feathers to flock with. Who’s laughing now?

Speaking of birds, “Partly Cloudy” puts an original spin on the stork myth with great heart and humor. If babies come from storks, where do the storks get the babies? In this case, storks pick up newly born offspring from clouds in the sky. Not every cloud gets to conjure cute kitties and doggies, though. One particular cloud can only make not-so-cuddly creations like baby alligators, porcupines, and sharks. Imagine what that must be like for the stork that needs to carry out the deliveries. It may not be an easy job, but some friendships are worth enduring a little pain.

As we learned in “Toy Story 2,” Geri repairs toys for a living. During his down time, though, he fancies a good game of chess. Since he apparently doesn’t have many friends, Geri is forced to play against himself. A one-sided chess game may not seem exhilarating, but this Oscar-winning short manages to be a ton of fun from start to finish. Geri makes for an especially charismatic lead, sporting multiple personalities. If you’re ever looking for somebody else to play against, Geri, there’s an old man with a balloon house that could use some company.

Whenever we think of Pixar, a balanced-arm desk lamp immediately comes to mind. “Luxo Jr.” marked the debut of this computer-animation studio’s mascot, proving that they could bring just about anything to life. The premise is simple as two faceless lamps play around with a familiar rubber ball. With this simple premise, however, John Lasseter and company created a landmark short with game-changing animation, masterful storytelling, and surprisingly emotional characters. It’s just a small slice of the greatness Pixar had in store for us.

“Presto” demonstrates some of the most energetic and fast-paced animation you’ll ever see. Although pulling a rabbit out of a hat sounds like Magic 101, it proves to be an abra-catastrophe for this magician. As this archetypal musician tries to pull his famous hat trick off, his rabbit refuses to cooperate until he gets his carrot. From there, it’s two showmen trying to top each other in Bugs Bunny fashion. The laughs just keep coming in an exhilarating short that doesn’t slow down until the final curtain. By the way, Mickey Mouse wants his sorcerer’s hat back.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Boundin’” (2003)
- “Tin Toy” (1988)
- “Lava” (2014)
- “Mike’s New Car” (2002)
- “Jack-Jack Attack” (2005)

Pixar will always be famous for launching computer-animation to mainstream popularity. In “Day & Night,” however, they make impeccable use of both 3D and 2D animation. The best of both worlds collide as daytime and nighttime cross paths in the forms of anthropomorphic characters. Although they may seem different on the inside, these two have more in common than initially realized. When all’s said and done, they go together better than the contrasting animation styles on display. Pushing the boundaries of what animation can do and working in an unexpectedly powerful message, “Day & Night” is the epitome of everything we love about Pixar.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite Pixar short? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.