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The Movie Pool takes a long look at the short films of Pixar from their new Blu-ray!

The Set-up

Short films from Pixar, many featuring characters from the studio's feature fims, are presented.

The Delivery

This second collection of short films from Pixar features 12 cartoons in stunning high definition. Many of the shorts were previously available on Pixar home video releases (including "Hawaiian Vacation" and "Air Mater"), and three are Academy Award nominees.

What we get in Volume 2 of the series is an eclectic mix of styles and approaches, and for the most part, it all works well. While some are mildly amusing, others (like "Day and Night") are exceptional, that entertain and manage to be original.

 

 

The shorts included in the collection are:

"Your Friend the Rat" Ratatouille's Remy and Emile provide the disgusting yet funny history of rats. Director Jim Capobianco and production designer Nate Wragg provide an optional audio commentary.

Chicago – The second volume of shorts created by the most influential and creatively important studio of the last twenty years was recently released on Blu-ray and it’s undeniable that a few of these mini-films are simply better than their full-length competition. Some Oscar-nominated and some including beloved characters, this may not be as obvious a holiday choice as “Brave” or “Finding Nemo,” but “Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2” is one of the best family Blu-ray releases of the holiday season.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Collecting shorts that have often played in front of new theatrical releases since 2007, this volume includes Oscar nominees like “Presto” and “La Luna” along with several shorts that expand upon the universes of beloved Pixar films like “Ratatouille” (“Your Friend the Rat”), “Wall-e” (“Burn-e”), “Up” (“Dug’s Special Mission” & “George & A.J.”), “Cars” (“Air Mater” & “Time Travel Mater”), and “Toy Story” (“Hawaiian Vacation” & “Small Fry”). Some of the...

Disney.Pixar is known for their amazing storytelling, and their second batch of shorts, Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 is no exception. These shorts are so fantastic, the only problem that you might have is picking out your favorite.

From Disney.Pixar, the Award-winning studio behind .Toy Story,. .Up. and .Wall.E,. comes a new collection of short films. Experience the revolutionary animation and unforgettable characters with 12 short films together for the very first time. This must-own collection also features seven rarely screened student films from directors John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter. Available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on November 13, .Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2. will delight audiences of all ages.

Disney.Pixar always provides the best viewing experience that it can, and Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 is no exception. The flawless 1080p transfer makes for a fun viewing experience. The audio switches between DTS-hd 5.1, DTS-hd 7.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes,...

Pixar has become as known for its shorts as it has for its feature films, and the second release of a collection of these shorts is now available.

This time around, the featured titles consist of the shorts that played in front of theatrical titles, as well as short films featuring the cast from such movies as Up, Toy Story, and Wall•E. Though the collection itself does not come with a lot of bonuses, you do get some student films from the directors, and commentaries.

As with any Pixar release, the Blu-Ray does make a significant difference. I haven’t actually watched things like La Luna or Day & Night on a standard DVD, but I shudder at what gets lost, especially after seeing how they look here. That’s standard info though, and detailing the quality of the Blu-Ray is probably more than is necessary to anyone’s decision.

Disney has released a brand new compilation of shorts from Pixar on DVD and Blu-ray this week, collecting several of the most recent animated gems produced by the the studio that brought us Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-e and so much more.

Included on the disc are 12 of the most recent shorts produced by the award-winning animation studio, most of which were shown in theaters in front of select Pixar films. Four of the included shorts (“Presto,” “Partly Cloudy,” “Day & Night,” and “La Luna”) are actually original stories while the other 8 shorts include characters and locations that are directly related to their Pixar film counterparts. Now together in one complete package, the new collection offers fans the perfect opportunity to view every Pixar short film released since 2007 without having to play a dozen Blu-ray discs.

Presented in the order in which they were theatrically released, the shorts included in the collection are as follows.

Before we get into this week's new releases, I have a deal to bring to your attention, which is Amazon is selling the Coen Brothers Collection on Blu-ray for $19.99, which includes Blood Simple, Fargo, Miller's Crossing and Raising Arizona. You can pick that up right here. In addition to that, Amazon is having a pre-Black Friday Deals Week, which you can learn more about here. Now let's get to this week's new releases. Lawrence of Arabia I did not receive a review copy of this title, though I did try, which tells me I have either been shunned by Sony or my email is going in the Junk Mail box on the opposite side of the digital spectrum. Oh well, it looks like I will be adding it to my Wish List as I really do love Lawrence of Arabia and owning it on Blu-ray would be excellent, though it's...

Following their 2008 release of thirteen short films in Vol. I back in 2008, Pixar are back with a dozen more short films released next month on DVD and Blu-ray, and they’ve released two excellent trailers to give us a taste of what we have coming our way soon.

Also released as part of the collection are a further seven student films from directors as big as John Lasseter (Toy Story), Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), and Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.), making it a must-have for any fan of the studio.

“Disney and Pixar present an incredible new collection of 12 short films, featuring multiple Academy Award nominees (Best Short Film, Animated: “Presto,” 2008; “Day & Night,” 2010; “La Luna,” 2011) and a host of family favourites. Join the celebration of imagination with the must-own collection, packed with unforgettable animation, fantastic stories and captivating characters. Plus, enjoy all-new extras that share how Pixar’s storied talent got...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 13, 2012

Price: DVD $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.99

Studio: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Those awesome short films that are shown in theaters before Pixar movies, such as Wall-e, Cars 2 and Brave, are collected in Disney’s DVD and Blu-ray discs Pixar Short Film Collection Volume 2.

But the sets also include student films from famed Pixar movie directors John Lasseter (Cars 2), Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) and Pete Doctor (Up).

Rated PG, the DVD and Blu-ray collections contain these short films:

Burn•E – Burn•E is a dedicated, hard working robot that finds himself locked out of his ship and quickly learns that completing a simple task can often be a difficult endeavor. Based on characters from Wall•E. (Directed by Angus MacLane)

Dug’s Special Mission – Based on the character from Up, Dug is sent on a foolish mission by Alpha, Beta and Gamma so...

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases on Blu-Ray

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

13 Assassins (2010)

Synopsis: Cult director Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan’s feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future. (Courtesy of MagPictures.com)

Special Features: Deleted Scenes; Interview with Director Takashi Miike; Theatrical Trailer; Trailers for Hobo With A Shotgun, Rubber, Troll Hunter, and The Perfect Host.

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich – Unrated Director’s Cut (2010)

Synopsis: Rayne fights against the Nazis in Europe during World War II, encountering Ekart Brand, a Nazi leader whose target is to inject Adolf Hitler with Rayne’s blood in an attempt to transform him into a dhampir and attain immortality. (Courtesy of Blu-Ray.com)

Special...

About: When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other's unique qualities--and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world—the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective. Running time: 6 minutes Teddy Newton (Director): Newton came to Pixar in July of 2000 to work on Pixar’s sixth feature film, “The Incredibles,” and has since contributed his considerable character design skills to many of Disney•Pixar’s award-winning feature and short films, including “Ratatouille,” “Your Friend the Rat” and “Presto.” He was also instrumental in the creation of the End Titles of “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille” and is frequently cast as a voice in Disney•Pixar films, including the role...

This weekend when you see Toy Story 3 --it's safe to assume you'll be there? -- you'll first see a new Pixar short called Day & Night (2010). Don't be surprised if it wins an Oscar on February 27th, 2011. I don't want to spoil one second of the short because it's so inventive, fun and technically /conceptually strong. It's often all of those things simultaneously. You're in for a treat.

Despite Pixar's reputation as an Oscar hog, they're more Streep than Hepburn; They're nominated frequently but they win less than people have imagined.

Unless you're talking about animated features in which case, yes, yes, they win that a lot. They've won it 5 out of its 9 years. But they also lose ridiculous contests like Monsters, Inc vs. Shrek... despite the math being Monsters, Inc > Shrek by 1000 to 1. Argh. That one will haunt me forever.

Pixar Shorts Oscar History

Winners: Tin Toy (1988), Gerri's Game...

Fans of Disney Pixar will be probably be interested in this latest item we have: a first look at the studio’s new short film, which is entitled Day & Night. It’s the directorial debut of Teddy Newton, a storyboard artist on The Iron Giant and a character designer on both The Incredibles and Ratatouille, as well as another Pixar short film, Presto (he’s also voiced a lot of Pixar movies).

This continues a much-loved Pixar tradition of having a short film play before one of the feature films. Day & Night will play in front of Pixar’s next feature – its only “threequel” so far – Toy Story 3. Past shorts have included the aforementioned Presto (which played in front of Wall-e), Lifted (which played before Ratatouille) and most recently, Partly Cloudy (which played in front of Up).

Our first look at Day & Night comes in the form of a promo image.

ComingSoon has an exclusive first look at Pixar's new short film which will be attached to Toy Story 3 on June 18th 2010. As we previously reported, it is titled Day & Night, and was directed by Teddy Newton, a storyboard artist on The Iron Giant, Character Designer for The Incredibles and Presto, who makes his Pixar directorial debut. What isn't expected: We had assumed, probably incorrectly, that the short film has something to do with the boy and dinosaur art that was spotted on sculptor Greg Dykstra's wall in behind the scenes b-roll footage for Pete Docter's Up. While this is unconfirmed, the title graphic gives the impression that the shot  could be a 2D animated film, and not the computer animated short film we're use to from Pixar. If so, this wouldn't be Pixar's first attempt at 2D animation (see Your Friend the Rat, the short included on...

Feeling drab and dreary this morning? Well, sigh no more ladies and gentlemen: here's a roughly animated but totally delightful Pixar short for ya, called George & Aj and spinning off the two retirement home attendants left behind when Carl and his house take off.This is a short in the tradition of Jack-Jack Attack, Burn-e or Mike's New Car, playing as it does with characters already established in the film. It features the defiantly lo-fi animation of a Your Friend The Rat as well, so don't go expecting CGI slickness here. It was written and directed by Pixar's Josh Cooley. Up is out on DVD on Region 1 already, and in the UK not soon enough.

According to Slash Film, “The DVD release of Wall-e will include a short film would be “very connected to Wall-e.” Pixar has done this in past releases with Mike’s Car on Monster’s Inc, Jack Jack Attack on The Incredibles, Mater and The Ghostlight with Cars, and Your Friend The Rat on Ratatouille (which Wall-e himself has an animated cameo in). The short film on Wall-e will be titled Burn-e. In the feature film there is a sequence where Eve and Wall-e fly around the Axiom Starliner, and enter through a door locking a poor welder bot on the outside of the ship. The bot bangs his fists against the door after he realizes that he has been locked out. You can watch a clip of the sequence Here. Apparently the welder bot is actually named Burn-e, complete with a logo on the side of his head.” So, for...