DVD and Conquer

How to choose among the literally hundreds of DVDs coming out each week? TIME's Richard Corliss is here to help, reviewing new and classic releases as they hit stores. Suggestions welcome. Let's get to it.

Pixar Short Films Collection — Volume 1

Baby from computer graphic short film Tin toy, from Pixar.

Pixar
  • Print

Walt Disney Video
Available Nov. 6, List Price $29.99

The company began as the computer-research branch of Lucasfilm, becoming Pixar when Steve Jobs bought it. The geek-geniuses had made movies as far back as 1972 (Ed Catmull did a piece called Hand), but they wanted novel ways to demonstrate their software, so they hired John Lasseter, a young animator from Disney, to bring some form and humor to their experiments. The results were the first films — Luxo Jr. in 1986, then Red's Dream, Tin Toy, Knick Knack — to show the entertainment possibilities of computer animation. Within a decade of concocting these wonderful shorts, Lassetter produced Toy Story, which announced the arrival of feature CGI cartoons and, though it needn't have happened, the demise of hand-drawn animated films.

This collection of 13 Pixar shorts is delightful both in itself — Ralph EgglestonŐs For the Birds and Bud LuckeyŐs Boundin' are special treats — and as an informal history of CGI animation. Each of the auteurs donates a commentary to his film (except for Mike's New Car, where the comments are provided by two children of the directors), and there's an illuminating documentary to fill you in on the cybernetic side. It's a must-have set for everyone from toddlers to techies.

View the full list for "DVD and Conquer"

Most Popular »

Full List »
  1. The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell
  2. The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
  3. How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time
  4. Obama's 'Mistakes': Way Too Early to Judge
  5. In Italy, A Sex Scandal to Rival Berlusconi's
  6. Satyam Computer Fraud Grows to $2.5 Billion
  7. Black Friday
  8. Workers of the World vs. China Inc.
  9. The Gospel of Glee: Is It Anti-Christian?
  10. Pie
  1. The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
  2. The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell
  3. Is Gene Therapy Finally Ready for Prime Time?
  4. The Gospel of Glee: Is It Anti-Christian?
  5. How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time
  6. Workers of the World vs. China Inc.
  7. Obama's 'Mistakes': Way Too Early to Judge
  8. In Italy, A Sex Scandal to Rival Berlusconi's
  9. Dearborn's Muslims Fear a Fort Hood Backlash
  10. Satyam Computer Fraud Grows to $2.5 Billion
  • Print

Lists by Topic

Topics

Most Popular