Animated shorts are making something of a small, barely-noticed comeback, mostly because of Pixar. In general, they are used as extra bells and whistles in special edition DVD releases to help tack on an extra five bucks or so to the cost of the disc. However, Pixar has been very faithful about preserving an old tradition and including animated shorts before each feature in the theatre.
The best part? Almost all of them are sans-dialog.
"Lifted" is another short in this vein involving a botched alien abduction. It's very good slapstick, and a great opening to a very visual and kinetic film to follow (Ratatouille). In terms of general approach, the characters are a lot more cartoon-y than previous Pixar works (Yeah, I know, it is a cartoon, but these characters seem more like something you'd find on a cable children's show than as an independent feature), but they're still well written and empathetic.
I wouldn't say it's a more memorable short from such a prolific studio, but the way things have going these past years, "Lifted" itself is much more worth the price of admission than most other Hollywood films.
--PolarisDiB
The best part? Almost all of them are sans-dialog.
"Lifted" is another short in this vein involving a botched alien abduction. It's very good slapstick, and a great opening to a very visual and kinetic film to follow (Ratatouille). In terms of general approach, the characters are a lot more cartoon-y than previous Pixar works (Yeah, I know, it is a cartoon, but these characters seem more like something you'd find on a cable children's show than as an independent feature), but they're still well written and empathetic.
I wouldn't say it's a more memorable short from such a prolific studio, but the way things have going these past years, "Lifted" itself is much more worth the price of admission than most other Hollywood films.
--PolarisDiB