Shorts story

Discover how Pixar has remained committed to producing animated shorts for the past 34 years

Pixar Animation Studios has always believed in making short films. The studio’s first-ever short, Luxo Jr., launched an entirely new direction in animated filmmaking using three-dimensional computer animation to tell its story. Since then, nearly every feature film that Pixar has released has included a short beforehand, bringing back a tradition that was once an expected pleasure for filmgoers. Each short also gives Pixar artists an opportunity to push the boundaries of computer animation and solve technical or artistic challenges.

Recently the studio has made new forays into the short film space with its SparkShorts program, a series of shorts “designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows,” says Pixar’s president Jim Morris at pixar.com/sparkshorts. “These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare.”