Presto (2008)

Director:

Doug Sweetland

Writers:

Doug Sweetland (written by)
Ted Mathot (story) ...

Release Date:

27 June 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Comedy

Plot:

A stage magician's rabbit gets into a magical onstage brawl against his neglectful guardian with two magic hats.

Plot Keywords:

Carrot | Mouse Trap | Rabbit | Ladder | Audience

Runtime:

5 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

France:U | USA:G | Australia:G

Company:

Pixar Animation Studios

Trivia:

The design of the opening credits ("Walt Disney Pictures Presents" and "A Pixar Animation Studios Cartoon") is an homage to the openings of Disney's 1940s and 1950s shorts, which used spotlighted text on a red textured background.

Simply magic

Whatever it is about Pixar, I cannot help myself falling in love with them every time I see one of their short films. Running a short film in front of their major cinema releases is a stroke of genius and they seem to keep getting better and better every time I go. "Presto" is a fantastic short film, feeling very much like a "Tom & Jerry" on a big screen. I've talked before about Pixar's attempt at resurrecting the old Hollywood tradition of screening cartoons before the main picture and long it may continue, if they are all as brilliantly funny as this.

In essence, "Presto" is a classic battle between a stage magician and his hungry rabbit, seeking revenge during his master's act for not feeding him a juicy carrot. How? Well, you'd be amazed at what you can do with a couple of magic hats and impeccable timing!

I honestly can't remember laughing so much at the cinema - certainly laughing hard enough to provoke a sharp dig in the ribs from my embarrassed Better Half! Finding the perfect balance of humour that appeals to both kids and adults is never easy but Pixar are starting to make it look like child's play. The only real criticism of "Presto" is that it is much funnier than it's main feature, "Wall-E" (though that is simply magnificent as well but for different reasons). But complaining that one film is funnier than another is madness. Quite frankly, if you don't go to the movies to watch both this and "Wall-E" then I will hunt you down and slap you very hard across the face. Go. Go now! Run!