Piper

A sandpiper hatches and expects mummy to feed him, but that is not what Nature intended for this little bird, and he has to learn to feed on his own from the seashore. He is just so scared.

Piper, short for sandpiper, is one of the cutest short films ever. This is Pixar in its full splendor regarding the quality and polish of the animation, character creation and the way the story is presented. Most importantly, this is clean humour that speaks to adults, children, and people from all cultural backgrounds, anywhere in the world.

Piper is a slice of bird life, presented both with great realism and accuracy regarding pipers behavior in Nature, but transcends the purely observational by infusing Piper with a reminder of how exciting the world looks and feels when you are a toddler or a puppy. That sort of energy is perfectly captured in the film. Piper speaks, basically, of the magic of discovering the world for the first time.

Piper character is beautifully drawn and textured, cutest as cute can be, tender, innocent and naughty at the same time. Hugely huggable.

Not an inventive story or narrative, just it does what it intends to do to perfection.

A short that is both irrepressibly adorable and true to how these creatures move in real life, Piper follows a little bird as he/she (does that matter?) tries to get a little piece of clam that its mommy leaves for it on a beach. But the tide might come and sweep the bird away or back into looking like a messed-up little thing. It's an inspiring story that shows kids that if there's a little perseverance through the harsh waters that you can come out with something you didn't expect to get. Like many of Pixar's shorts it has a lot more depth than can be expected in a short running time, and the unique aspect to this is how the birds and ocean moves so closely as to how in life that it's only incredible that it wasn't done via digital-rendering on actual birds and clams and crabs and so on. And on top of everything else it's fitting to pair this with Finding Dory, which is all about taking on the odds against you to do what isn't expected - or, to put it another way, going past the limits of what is possible naturally.

Not just that, but perhaps the best Pixar short film since 'Presto'(which accompanied 'WALL'E' back in 2008, and this reviewer has enjoyed to loved all the Pixar short films) and even better than the still very enjoyable 'Finding Dory'.

The animation is rich in gorgeous, vibrant colour and even richer in meticulous in detail, the titular character is both cute and impressively real. One of the most visually detailed and real of all the recent Pixar short films. Also splendid is the music score, which enhances every scene and action and sears powerfully in emotion without resorting to use of a repetitive song or something.

Pixar excels better than most companies in combining humour and pathos, not only achieving an ideal balance of the two executing both beautifully. 'Piper' to me is the most successful of the Pixar shorts since 'Presto' at all three. The humour is light and is not the constant laugh-a-minute type, but what there is is subtle and genuinely funny.

Where 'Piper' is more successful is with the emotional elements, with it being one of Pixar's most legitimately poignant, the emotional impact is present throughout and tears, whether it's just wet eyes or proper bawling, are most likely guaranteed. Also don't think there's been a cuter Pixar short, with one of the company's most adorable and relatable titular characters, or a more inspiring one with a beautiful identifiable message delivered with surprising subtlety.

Overall, truly mesmerising. Forgot that it was a 6 minute short film and thought I was watching a piece of art. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Shown just before Finding Dory, this short is about a young bird on the beach who's a little afraid of the waves when they move quickly especially when it's trying to get something. Everything in this one looks so lifelike, for a while, I didn't think it was computer animated at all! Both funny and a little touching, the minutes seem to go by pretty quickly by the time it ends. Such a natural feel looking at all those birds' movements not to mention the ocean when it movies to and fro most of the time. The 3-D glasses I viewed this with may have been a plus, I don't know. Certainly, I was riveted throughout this short. Really, all I'll say now is Piper is another worthy Pixar short.

The folks at Pixar have a great eye for detail and the reproduction of the animal world (any world for that matter). While the story is almost overly cute, the little guy that is at the center is amazingly crafted and presented. He is receiving his little bird education as his mother moves him slowly through the steps he must follow to lead an adult life. Lovely.