So 2014 was pretty much a bust for me doing reviews, but hey
it’s a new year with new possibilities so in celebration of that I’m taking a
look at this techno short from the folks at Pixar.
As I've said before I love that studios are going back to
doing short subjects along with feature productions. Not only is it a nice nod to the classic
animations of the golden years of the medium, but they also allow for
exploration of characters and situations that wouldn’t be able to carry a
feature length film. In the case of Rex
in this short he is a comic relief character within the Toy Story cast, and as seen with something like Cars 2 having the comic relief trying to
fill 80+ minutes of screen time is really hard.
A six minute short though that works just fine. On the commentary there is talk about the
idea of wanting to be accepted and Rex trying too hard to do so and only
pushing his friends away in the process.
Then with the bath toys of course Rex wants them to like him so he goes
overboard with it. True to his nature he
did mean well he wanted them to have fun and he could help them do so.
I love the idea of the bath toys adding yet another dimension
to the universe with this style of toy we haven’t seen before. The kind that can’t move around as freely as
the others, but still like to have fun just like the gang we know do. Also I love seeing the gang get knocked over
by the wave of suds and bath water this short has great use of timing and a combination
of silence and that upbeat soundtrack.
The throwback to Toy Story 3
with Rex being the sea monster in Bonnie’s imagination with the other toys was
great; as well as the ending where the pool toys want Rex to give them a rockin’
party too.
Now this being a Pixar production the animation is touch
notch of course. Especially considering
all the elements at play here that suck to render out in animation. It confirms in the commentary that bubbles
are hard to do and the number of them was kept track of, water is hard, lighting
for many different colours and sources is hard.
Everything that could be a challenge in animation is here. Yet it all comes together from neat details in
the background like Bonnie’s clay pressed hand prints on the wall to the great
rave scene as the tub overflows and we get these quick cuts of characters and
lights and motion. The fun colours here
work for a younger audience, but the angles and speed of the lights timed with
the techno music gives the short this great dance floor, or hyped up concert
feeling that the older fans will connect to, and are obviously the primary
target of the franchise that’s why Toy
Story 3 is what it is. I appreciate
that so much too having grown up with the Toy
Story trilogy. Yes you want to keep
it open to allow new audience members to join in, but those of us who have been
here from the beginning haven’t been forgotten and that is just awesome.
So I would definitely recommend checking this short
out. It’s great looking from textures to
all the bubbles and the water elements. The
music is fun. This idea of taking Rex
this nervous nelley character out of his element and him wanting to be liked
and having everything just go totally over the top in the process is great to
see. Just like the bath toys have a
great time at the party I have a great time watching the party.
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