Lou

This is a funny short and the animation is some of the zaniest that Pixar has done. But the redemption of the bully is unearned because it is ultimately transactional. It is very funny and enjoyable but it is missing the depth of other Pixar works.

LOU is an unseen creature made out of stuff from the LOst and foUnd box in the schoolyard. It cleans up after the kids while they are in class. It is dismayed at J.J. bullying the other kids. It battles J.J. to return stuff stolen from the other children.

This is a Pixar short that comes with the movie Cars 3. It's perfectly fine family viewing especially for the kids. In a way, it fits well with Cars 3 which is also perfectly fine. The creature design of random objects is a little usual. It is able to be cute without being creepy. This is perfectly fine.

Being a big fan of Pixar since forever, both their feature films and short films, of course expectations for 'LOU' were high. Luckily, those high expectations were not just met, in some ways they were exceeded.

'LOU' is not quite among Pixar's best short films like 'Presto', 'One Man Band', 'Knick Knack', 'Piper' and 'Geri's Game'. However, it is one of the biggest examples of the short film being much better than the feature film. Didn't care for 'Cars 3', finding that despite the great animation that it never really got into gear and was highly suggestive of the 'Cars' franchise running out of gas, but loved 'LOU' and that it alone is worth the admission. The premise could have been potentially goofy, but was a long way from that. It's not exactly unique but is incredibly well handled that that is insignificant.

The animation is fantastic, one of Pixar's best-looking later short films and perhaps overall, some of its fluidity, colour and detail being among Pixar's overall best perhaps. Which is huge praise, considering that even in their lesser efforts like 'The Good Dinosaur' and 'Cars 2 and 3' for features and 'Mater and the Gaslight' and 'Lava' for shorts (this said, as blasphemous as this may sound, 'Cars 3' is the only one that didn't do much for me) the animation is always one of the best assets. The music score has whimsical energy and a suitably understated quality at points, not using a repetitive song to make an impression and is never ham-fisted or intrusive.

What stood out about 'LOU' was its mood, how one really connects with it and how well it did with its idea. Story-wise it is slight and not much of one, but that didn't matter too much and the short duration flies by and makes one wish for more actually. Watching 'LOU' was such an uplifting and heartfelt experience for me, parts are amusing but not in an overt way and it is hard not to be touched too. The mix of gentle (and in other efforts of theirs riotous) humour and heart-wrenching pathos was always a strength with Pixar, 'LOU' is not an exception by any stretch of the imagination.

It also has charm by the bucket-loads and it was incredibly cute without being too sickly or sugary. It even prompts some thought-provoking questions and thoughts. The characters are appealing and engage you, even the bully (which usually would be an impossible feat).

Overall, captivating and 7 short minutes of joy and beauty. 9/10 Bethany Cox

It feels good to give back. This would be the message of this lovely short. You see, in life not everything is about us. It's also about others and the way we can enjoy this movie called life together, in peace and harmony. The world would change tremendously if we could change behaviours from time to time.

This Disney-Pixar short was shown before Cars 3. During recess, a bully takes all the kids' toys or other of their valuables and puts them in a box. A flashback is provided that explains some of his behavior... I'll stop there and just say there's some amusing stuff concerning a creature that can only exist in an animated cartoon but it's believable enough to suspend logical thought and it contributed enormously to my enjoyment of this short. Really, all I'll say now is I recommend LOU.