Lifted

Voices of: N/A
Directed by: Gary Rydstrom
Rating: G
Genre: Animation, Short, Comedy
Length: 5 minutes
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young alien tries to abduct a human, but it doesn't go as planned.

Review:

Tim: I think an alien abduction is a really weird premise for a Pixar short film. I suppose I give Lifted credit for such an original idea, but I can't say I fully loved the idea. The movie is obviously kid-focused and appropriate, but the idea of aliens abducting humans isn't going to make much sense to younger viewers. My five year-old was pretty confused about what was happening. I had to explain it to him. It's a weird set up for a film. Adults will immediately get it, but it won't make a lot of sense to kids.

Some of the visuals are a bit frightening. Alien abductions have been the premise of multiple horror movies, so it's again, a bit weird. I was a little concerned with how my son would react. Early on, the spaceship, the beam of light, the floating unconscious human- it's all a little much. The film quickly shifts focus to more slapstick humor, and that's where my son was finally able to enjoy it.

The bulk of the short film is pretty funny. A young alien is trying to get a person out of a house, using a ridiculously complicated control panel. He's obviously being graded for his efforts by a stoic colleague. It's funny because of the ridiculous problems he has. My son laughed a lot at this and I found it fairly enjoyable, too.

The animation is solid, about what you'd expect from a Pixar film like this. The story is a bit forgettable, as it relies mostly on sight gags. There's not a whole lot of humor or deeper meaning to this film. I'm a bit surprised the short film was nominated for an Academy Award- it's not a great film. It's perfectly alright, but Lifted isn't one that I would be overly enthusiastic about returning to.

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



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