Knick Knack

Starring: N/A
Directed by: John Lasseter
Rating: G
Genre: Short, Animation, Comedy
Length: 4 minutes
1989

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A snowman in a snow globe wants to join other knick knacks, but can't break free of his globe.

Review:

Tim: Knick Knack is the fourth Pixar short film, coming one year after their first Academy Award win. Once again, the computer animation technology has increased in sophistication. This is the slickest short film yet. It's been amazing to see the evolution of what Pixar could do, from their first film, The Adventures of Andre and Wallace B. in 1984, to this film. 5 years might not seem like that long of a time, but Pixar took revolutionary leaps with this film.

Like their other short films, this movie is cute and tells a worthwhile story in just a few minutes. It continues the theme from 1988's Tin Toy by anthropomorphizing knick knacks that people pick up on vacation. On a top shelf, there's a bunch of travel souvenirs from warm, sunny places. They're having a great time, lounging around. On the other side of the self is a snowman in a snow globe. He wants to join the party and the short is him trying increasingly elaborate attempts to break out of his globe. It's funny and entertaining. The movie moves at a quick pace, so it holds your attention. The snowman is an interesting character- he's persistent and innovative, but faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It's clever, because you like the little snowman and you want him to succeed.

The animation definitely looks better than even Tin Toy. The colors are vibrant, the animation is polished. That helps because it sucks you into this world. The film is helped by the music, performed by the talented Bobby McFerrin. He improvised the a capella vocals. It perfectly fits the story and the characters. You can't overlook McFerrin's importance to this film.

Pixar is one of the great success stories in Hollywood and it's so much fun that we are able to track it's progress. I've had a fun time seeing each of these films and following its evolution. This is a fun little movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Tin Toy, Red's Dream