Tag Archives: short film

Movie Review: “The Blue Umbrella” (Short)

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The Blue Umbrella

 

Last year, I extolled the virtues of Disney returning animation to its true form with “Paperman”, a short I was sure would win an Oscar (and it did). This year, Pixar’s short “The Blue Umbrella” presents yet another wonderfully done sweet tale of love – albeit with a twist.

As the scene opens, a city starts to experience the first few fat drops of rain from an oncoming shower. Inanimate objects on the city streets begin reacting to the rain with muted joy and subtle smiles as they soak it in. Umbrellas soon emerge as the protectors of the various passers-by, mostly the generic, stalwart black umbrellas sported in every city. There’s one standout, though: a blue umbrella. This bright blue umbrella revels in the rain, clearly enjoying the shower as much, if not more so, than the other supposedly lifeless characters on the street.

Waiting at a light, the blue umbrella spots another colorful protector in the crowd; a lovely red umbrella shares a shy, coy moment with the blue umbrella until they’re cruelly separated by their owners heading in opposite directions. The two umbrellas are heartbroken, and the blue umbrella does his best to make his way back to his beloved – to sometimes jarring consequences. In the end, love does conquer all, even the rain, providing a wholly satisfying ending for the adorable pair.

 

Blue and Red Umbrellas

 

The more I think on “The Blue Umbrella”, the more I think it certainly has a decent shot at winning the Oscar this year. It’s a sheer joy to watch, and the computer graphics feel and look so real as to be wholly believable. Well, if you believe that umbrellas can fall in love…and really: why not?

 

4 out of 4 stars

“The Blue Umbrella” will be shown in theatres prior to viewing of “Monsters University”, which opens nationwide on June 21, 2013.

 

 

Movie Review: “Paperman” (short)

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Paperman

Nearly a century ago, Disney pioneered really amazing animation – stories that didn’t always have words but that conveyed rich meaning, stories that needed no dialogue to show depth of feeling. “Paperman”, a new short film set to air before showings of “Wreck-It Ralph”, is a brilliant example of what Disney has been doing since the dawn of the studio.

The story unfolds on an elevated train track in mid-century New York City, as two commuters briefly share what could only be described as a “meet cute”. Naturally, things can’t be all THAT simple, so some complications are thrown in their path. The title’s derivation soon becomes quite apparent and the audience is provided ample opportunity to root on the potential lovebirds. And, this being Disney, the people on the screen aren’t the only animated elements in this short film that want these two to get together.

 

Paperman

Paperman

Paperman

 

As a longtime fan of animation – and a collector of animation artwork (such as production cels) – I loved seeing “Paperman” come to life on the screen, even if only lasted for a few minutes. Whether it was the simplicity of the black-and-white presentation or the delightful lack of clutter from having it be dialogue-free, “Paperman” was a sweet amuse-bouche to open our screening of “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”. For those who love animation at its greatest, I highly recommend making it out to “Wreck-It Ralph” early enough to see “Paperman”. Based on what I saw, the next time you may see it after that is at the Oscars.

4 out of 4 stars

“Paperman” will be shown in theatres prior to viewing of “Wreck-It Ralph”, which opens nationwide on November 2, 2012.