A snow globe snowman wants to join the other travel souvenirs in a hot party, but the glass dome that surrounds him gets in his way, despite all his efforts.A snow globe snowman wants to join the other travel souvenirs in a hot party, but the glass dome that surrounds him gets in his way, despite all his efforts.A snow globe snowman wants to join the other travel souvenirs in a hot party, but the glass dome that surrounds him gets in his way, despite all his efforts.
- Director
- Writer
- Awards
- 1 win total
Featured reviews
This is a perfectly goofy time with Knick Knack, especially before a feature. It's four minutes of a situation, with a little snowman in a snow-globe pining for a little woman in the mix of a group of boppin-souvenirs. He finally gets out, but to a disastrous finale. It's very to the point in every measure, and all the while cute without actually being only for kids. In fact, I think I laughed at this harder now than I did when I first saw this as a kid. It's got a sense of humor to it that starts with the first shot, and continues all the way to the very end. Is it laugh-out-loud funny? Not entirely; it's got me 'heh-heh' type laughs all abound, with a few of the biggest laughs coming with the obvious pratfalls and errors. But even the music used is done with a big wink and a grin, especially during the end credits as the little voices are accompanied by a 'blah-blah-blah' voice. It's an Oscar-caliber little ruby of a short that, much like the early Disney shorts, doesn't overstay its welcome, and has an appeal ranging from 2 years old to 92 (to put it like a typical critic). It's a sweetly cruel piece of fluff.
The animation is truly excellent, using dynamic structures and design. Very amusing script about a snowman in a snowglobe,as well as other " Knickknacks". Interesting concept and very good computer animation make this a gem. By Pixar, who later , after a series of milestone shorts, worked with Disney on several computer animated features.
Even when the whole idea of computer animation was still in its infancy, Pixar displayed ingenuity which wasn't even being thought of in the current industry. It just goes to show that Pixar is here to stay, and the serene cuteness of this little film proved to be one of the building blocks for a future empire.
i thought this early animated short from Pixar was quite good.it's funny and ironic,plus it has a very catchy and infectious tune.it's also very low key,and movies at a nice sedate pace,which i liked a lot.it's from 1989,so it's a lot different than the animated films we have today.it's a very simple short with a simple story.considering it is nearly 20 years old,it's actually very well done.it's also much more clever than many animated shorts from today,and certainly back then.i'd check it out if you have the chance.you might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.or you might not be.either way,it's not like you're losing a couple of hours.for me,Knick Knack is a 7/10
'Knick Knack' starts with a couple of souvenirs taken from vacation in Florida. We see some palm trees dancing and a beach bunny dancing on a nice little tune. Then we take a look at the other end of the table. A souvenir from Alaska, a snowman in a glass dome, wants to join the hot party and especially the hot girl. He tries to break the glass of the dome in any way possible.
This animated short directed John Lasseter ('Toy Story', 'A Bug's Life') is a pretty impressive early film from the Pixar studio. It looks great and is inventive. The ending gives us the biggest laugh, but before that there are quite some funny moments.
This animated short directed John Lasseter ('Toy Story', 'A Bug's Life') is a pretty impressive early film from the Pixar studio. It looks great and is inventive. The ending gives us the biggest laugh, but before that there are quite some funny moments.
Did you know
- TriviaWhenever John Lasseter and Nancy Lasseter go anywhere on vacation, she always makes a point of buying a snow globe from that particular place. It was from this practice that the initial idea for the film was born.
- GoofsSunny Israel (the cactus), disappears towards the end of the short, specifically at 1:57.
- Quotes
[Opening text in the 2003 version]
Text: In 1989, six years before Toy Story, Pixar Animation Studios made this short film.
- Crazy creditsFilmed entirely on location.
- Alternate versionsThe original 1989 version of "Knick Knack" features exaggerated breasts on the two female figurines - the sunbather and the mermaid (the latter barely covered with starfish). This was meant to parody the absurd proportions of tacky figurines such as these, and to show why the snowman was so strongly attracted to them. In 2003, the short was remastered and revised to accompany the release of Le Monde de Nemo (2003). In this version, the sunbather is flat-chested and the mermaid is now covered with a clam-shell top (á la Ariel in La Petite Sirène (1989). This was done due to discomfort with the original version by John Lasseter, who by this point was a father and felt uncomfortable showing the original version to his children. This original version is no longer available, with its last release on the laserdisc release of Toy Story (1995). All subsequent releases, including in Pixar Short Films Collection 1 (2007) and on Disney+, have been of the 2003 revised version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Troldspejlet: Episode #4.12 (1991)
- Which film did this short accompany in theatres?
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Knickknack
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $123,967
- Gross worldwide
- $123,967
- Runtime4 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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