In the third collection of PIXAR’s short films, following the 2007 and 2012 editions, a delightful menagerie of thirteen short films is available for audiences to watch at their leisure. Some of them are stellar packages of morals and vision; others are more for simple entertainment. Here are my five favorites:
“Piper” may be my all-time favorite short. A young sandpiper figures out what it means to live in the world of the sea, learning from a group of hermit crabs. It’s visually excellent and stunningly beautiful.
“Bao” shows a mother’s grief at her son leaving the nest, with food as a metaphor and therapy for working through and processing that sadness. It’s a little creepy, but it’s also beautiful.
“Riley’s First Date” also deals with parental struggles, this time from the world of Inside/Out. All of the emotions are on display, but they’re able to show us a variety of perspectives as Riley, her parents, and a guy visiting their house have to deal with emotions, and hormones.
“Lou” rocks as a schoolyard bully learns a valuable lesson about his violence, actions, and pain, from the discard bin. It has to be seen to be believed.
“Party City” shows how we have a lot to learn from the older generation, even if we don’t fully understand monsters.
From the film releases of hits like The Good Dinosaur, Brave, and Cars 3, the others round out the set: “The Legend of Mor’du,” “The Blue Umbrella,” “The Radiator Springs 500 1/2,” “Lava,” “Sanjay’s Super Team,” “Marine Life Interviews,” “Miss Fritter’s Racing Skool,” and “Partysaurus Rex.”
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