Pixar shorts are a time-honored tradition. Pixar rebooted their shorts by premiering one before the studio’s second film, A Bug’s Life, and shorts have been a part of each Pixar feature film since. Many look forward to these shorts, finding themselves just as excited to see them as they are for the feature film.
With the release of Disney+, a new series of shorts has been introduced called SparkShorts. There have also been several feature-related shorts released. Many of these shorts contain captivating characters or stories, and while there are some that are flawless, there are several that leave fans wanting more. Check out these 5 shorts fans wish were full-length films and 5 that are perfect just the way they are.
Full Length: Geri’s Game
Geri’s Game is the short that really started it all. An elderly man named Geri enjoys an afternoon in the park by playing a riveting game of chess against himself. This character was so well received, he made an appearance in Toy Story 2.
Still, there isn’t much known about Geri. Fans would love to see Geri go through his daily life and perhaps make a friend in the process. Perhaps his game in the park is practice for a more important game, or him honoring a loved one he has lost. Unfortunately, we will likely never learn more about Geri.
Perfect: La Luna
In La Luna, a young boy goes to work with his father and grandfather for the first time. These individuals have an unusual job sweeping up fallen stars. As the father and grandfather argue over the “right way” to teach the young boy, he learns to create his own style.
The visuals in this short are stunning. The dynamics between the characters are endearing and lighthearted. One may wish to see more of these characters’ relationships and learn more about this stunning world, but a full-length film likely wouldn’t work. Drawing this story out could cheapen the plot and viewers may become dull to the impressive visuals.
Full Length: Purl
Purl is a relatable story. When this yarn ball gets a new job, she discovers she is very different than all of the “bros” who work at the company. After being excluded, she decides to adapt to fit in with her coworkers. When a new ball of yarn named Lacy begins to work, Purl almost dismisses her in the same way she was dismissed. Instead, Purl decides to welcome her and help her integrate into the group.
Things soon improve at B.R.O. Capital as the workplace becomes more diverse and Purl finds herself again while moving up in the company. This short could easily be transformed into a full-length film without changing much of the plot. Drawing out the sequence of events and showing Purl’s struggle and perhaps her life outside of work would make this already great short much more moving and emotional.
Perfect: Luxo Jr.
Luxo Jr. is an adorable short that features a young lamp and his parent lamp. The young lamp finds a ball and enthusiastically begins to play with it. The parent watches as he jumps up and down before accidentally popping the ball.
Luckily, the young lamp finds another large ball with which to play and the parent lamp can’t help but shake their head as they watch their child make the same mistakes. This interaction is sweet but it’s hard to imagine how this short interaction could be turned into a full-length film.
Full Length: Float
Float is incredibly moving. The story follows the relationship between a father and his young song. The father loves his son but he has some difficulty due to the boy’s unusual ability to float away. The father is constantly scrambling to keep his young boy safe and to hide this ability from others. During a moment of weakness, he explodes at his son asking why he can’t be “normal.”
The boy is heartbroken and the father instantly feels bad for his outburst. The father decides to no longer hide his son. The child happily floats around the playground and the father watches on proudly. The director/writer Bobby Rubio shared that this film was inspired by his relationship with his autistic son. This positive narrative/representation would be amazing for other families who don’t often get to see a representation of their family on screen.
Perfect: Partly Cloudy
Partly Cloudy shows the moving friendship between a stork named Peck and a storm cloud named Gus. The clouds make babies for the storks to deliver, and Gus’ creatures are anything but gentle. Gus seems self-conscious about these creations, as he notices how they harm his friend.
Peck seeks help from another cloud to produce some protective gear for him and Gus becomes upset, thinking Peck has abandoned him. But Peck shortly returns. There is something beautiful about the flow of this short, and although fans would love to see more of this friendship, extending it wouldn’t work. Fans don’t need an extended conflict between these friends and seeing Gus rapidly create new creatures is part of the joy of this short.
Full Length: Lou
In Lou, a bully named JJ steals items from the other children until the items come to life and fight back. It is revealed that JJ had been bullied when he was younger.
The items work with JJ to return the items to their rightful owners, which also destroys their sentient ability. This story could easily be made into a longer film, spending more time getting to know JJ and the lost items. This would give audiences more time to reflect on the moving story.
Perfect: Piper
In Piper, a young bird learns how to find its own food, battling the waves as they come in and out. His struggle is both hilarious and adorable.
The general reaction to this short is “aww.” This film is perfect just as it is, as fans get to see the little bird struggle and grow in his ability.
Full Length: Bao
Bao tells the story of a dumpling that comes to life and is raised by his mother, the woman who cooked him. The character is adorable and the relationship between him and his mother is beautiful. At the climax of the story, the mother becomes frustrated when the child tries to move out with a girl and eats him. It is then revealed that the entire sequence has been an allegorical dream in which the woman processed her relationship with her son.
Her husband encourages the son to approach her and they begin to work on repairing their relationship. Fans want to see what happens next and they wouldn’t mind more time with the adorable dumpling! The short is also a great representation of Chinese culture, which is needed.
Perfect: Lava
Lava tells the story of two volcanos in love who connected through music. The film is inspired by Hawaii and its influence is seen in the beauty of the islands and the music.
The entire film is set to a song filled with clever lyrics and puns. Extending this film would distract from the music and the positive feelings associated with this short film.
