Unfortunately, Pixar is going through a disastrous period. The animation company that once dominated the global box office with films like Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, or the more recent Coco, has been struggling for a few years. With releases going straight to Disney Plus and box office failures, it seems to be in an irreparable state.
However, there is something at Pixar that continues to thrive: their short films. Even before they released Toy Story, Pixar specialized in creating animated shorts of ephemeral duration but with great heart. And although the trend of including shorts with every film may have ended, we will always cherish the experience of watching a Pixar short before a feature film from the studio.
That’s why we have compiled a list of some of the best shorts Pixar has ever made. Of course, we couldn’t include them all, but we have included the most notable ones that are truly worth watching. They are listed in reverse order, with the last one being considered the best.
8 – Lava (James Ford Murphy, 2014)
Back in its time, the short film Lava, which accompanied the release of Inside Out, received both love and criticism. However, it has become one of the most memorable shorts from the studio. Directed by James Ford Murphy, it is one of the most charming ones from the past decade.
The story follows Uku, a lonely volcano on a tropical Pacific island, who yearns for someone to love. Uku sings a song to the ocean, hoping that one day his dream will come true. As the years pass, his lava slowly fades along with his hopes of finding love. Little did he know that beneath the sea, a volcano named Lele had been hearing his song every day and had fallen in love with him.
7 – One Man Band (Mark Andrews, 2005)
This may not be one of the most widely remembered Pixar shorts, but it is one that, with some distance, surpassed the accompanying film in terms of quality. Released in 2009, “One Man Band” is a short directed by Mark Andrews and Andrew Jimenez, and it premiered alongside Cars.
The story is set in Italy and follows Bass, a one-man band who has been performing in a square for several years. On that particular day, Treble, a new one-man band, arrives and seems to outshine Bass. Both musicians compete to win over Tippy, a young girl who wants to make a wish at the fountain using a coin.
6-Lou (Dave Mullins, 2017)
One of the more recent Pixar shorts is “Lou,” which premiered in 2017 alongside Cars 3 (and certainly garnered more attention than the feature film itself). Its main strength lies in its message: tackling bullying, acceptance, and friendship above all.
“Lou” tells the story of a peculiar creature, Lou, assembled from lost and found items in a playground’s lost and found box. Serving as a guardian rather than a mere collection of lost objects, Lou must navigate the playground bully JJ, who takes pleasure in stealing other children’s toys.
5 – Partly Cloudy (Peter Sohn, 2009)
The director of Elemental also directed one of Pixar’s most memorable shorts in 2009: “Partly Cloudy.” The short film premiered alongside Up and showcased what a remarkable year it was for the company. Few people forget having seen it.
The story focuses on explaining where babies come from… quite literally. However, in this case, it is explained through the concept of clouds. All clouds create babies of various kinds, but there is one particular cloud that creates babies of special and dangerous animals. As each stork is responsible for delivering babies from a cloud, there is one stork who always carries the dangerous animals that end up injuring her and making the delivery challenging. And that’s when the story takes an interesting turn.
4 – The Blue Umbrella (Saschka Unseld, 2013)
Another highly memorable Pixar short due to its originality is “The Blue Umbrella,” screened before Monsters University in 2013. Written and directed by Saschka Unseld, it is one of the studio’s most intriguing projects in recent years.
In the short film, a cityscape comes to life during a storm, and various objects of all styles gain life and develop their own personalities. In this context, a blue umbrella spots a red umbrella… and love blossoms.
3 – Day and Night (Teddy Newton, 2010)
Another short film that has become an instant classic is “Day & Night,” directed by Teddy Newton and shown alongside Toy Story 3. While the film itself is highly acclaimed, the short film also made a lasting impact and became one of Pixar’s most endearing creations.
“Day & Night” revolves around two initially antagonistic characters who, when brought together, become much more powerful. It’s a heartwarming visual play that makes you want them to stay together forever… despite knowing that this is not possible.
2 – Piper (Alan Barillaro, 2016)
One of the most acclaimed shorts in Pixar’s history dates back to 2016 and was shown alongside Finding Dory. While the film itself may not have been among the studio’s best, the short film became an unforgettable classic for fans.
“Piper” tells the story of a flock of birds searching for food on a shoreline, darting in to peck at the sand as the wave recedes and retreating as it returns. A baby bird is encouraged by its mother to join the flock but fails to retreat in time and is soaked by the waves. The incident leaves the baby bird scared of the water, but soon it discovers that it presents a great opportunity to fend for itself.
1 – Bao (Domee Shi, 2018)
Lastly, we present one of the most recent and greatest gems in Pixar’s history. “Bao” is a short film that premiered alongside Incredibles 2 and has captured the hearts of viewers since its release. It is the studio’s finest short film in many years.
The story revolves around a Chinese-Canadian woman who cooks baos (steamed buns), and soon one of them comes to life. It is a tale of the bao’s journey from birth to its separation from its mother—a small yet beautiful story that resonates with audiences on a personal level.
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