Disney Short Circuit

I'm gonna criticize that a bit. I've been laying into Pixar for its shoddy premises for its shorts, and just because Lasseter had nothing to do with this didn't mean it wasn't thin.

First off, I approve of the hand-drawn animation turning into stop-motion. More of both of those styles, please.

But there are certain people obsessed with traffic lights. My dad is always talking about them everywhere we drive (in regards to "beating them") and it just drives me nuts. They are no big deal that everyone deals with. But there are some people out there who attribute a magical level of malice, or simple unfairness to them. I love my dad, but on this specific thing, he's nuts. Most people don't care about crosswalks, or red lights, and everybody sits through them like the no big deals they are. And if you create a short based upon how sinister traffic lights are, you're one of THOSE people. And I love my dad, but dismiss and reject that part of his philosophy utterly. He's one of THOSE people. And so is the person who created the short.

The short is nonsense. Maybe the creator will argue that's the point. And I'll argue back that that's not an actual point. 1 star.

I suspect that's gonna get high praise. Not by me.

To be fair, Disney cartoons back in the 1920's to 1950's were incredibly bland and stale, especially compared to some of the eye-popping visuals Chuck Jones and Tex Avery were cranking out at Warner Bros. and MGM. The Simpsons did a joke about Disney animation being first, not best. And that sums up the original stuff.

My problem with the modern stuff is that it's in the other direction. Every short has to be filled with a big idea or overwrought emotional depth. I would have loved to see some silly Mickey, Donald, and Goofy cartoons in these shorts. No, here is a short with nothing funny happening and is essentially a character pondering life and death. I don't dig it. I don't appreciate it. If it were singularly unique that would be one thing, but it's practically EVERY Disney and Pixar short, so I'm annoyed instead. Ever since Pixar's Bao, which is my mind remains the single worst animated short of the past 20 years, and the worst one Pixar has ever done, I've sort of become cynical every time I see something like this. I'm not moved. I'm annoyed. I feel manipulated. And why? I don't know this guy. He has no personality, and the short gives me no reason to be attached to him. Why the hell should I feel like taking an emotional journey with him? The answer is I don't. The reality is the short is sentimental claptrap that means nothing to me.

And I might have felt differently if it WERE different for that. Paperman is essentially the same thing, but I loved it because the trope was new and not overdone yet. For now? I'm annoyed I'm expected to feel something for a character I know nothing about.

And can I again just rant about how counterproductive shorts without dialogue are? The guy has no personality to begin with, and you can't BEGIN to pin him down while he doesn't say a word. Bao sort of pulled back the curtain for why these types of shorts actually suck, and I don't think I'll ever enjoy a new one after that. 1 star.

Too many Disney and Pixar shorts take place on buses and trains.

Same problem as the previous short in its cloying sentimentality. However, I WILL give it points for having dialogue. The characters were easier to relate to for it, even if I didn't get all the way there. 2 1/2 stars.

The premise is great, the execution is not as great as I wanted it to be.

It was great animation and a great theme song. And yet, I wasn't entirely sold. I think the gross-out humor hurt it a lot for me. Oh well. It's still one of the better shorts this season. 2 1/2 stars.

Trippy animation and a soundtrack focused entirely on scary sounds means Disney decided to give us a Mindscrew for a short! It's not unheard of for Disney (Fantasia WAS The Original Animated Mindscrew) but it's still very unusual. I don't much like it when these shorts try to make me feel sad or heartwarmed. This one made feel me a bit unnerved, which is new, which is why I liked it. 5 stars.