Tin Toy the very first Pixar short I saw back in the early 1990’s when I’d attend animation festivals in Boston. I fell in love with their ability to pull you in to the story and tug at your heartstrings. Who else could show you a silly wind-up toy or a bunch of snow globes and you would suddenly feel for them and care about their situations? Since that first short film, Pixar has continued the tradition, obviously branching out into feature films but not leaving the short film medium behind. It’s wonderful to see how far they’ve come both as a company and the technology of animation itself.
With each new Disney/Pixar feature film, I anticipate the short which precedes it almost as much as the actual movie and La Luna was no exception after seeing this clip:
La Luna is visually stunning as well, a perfect appetizer for Brave, which is a feast for the eyes. There are no words spoken in La Luna, but none are needed as communication is achieved while spanning generation gaps. Just as Brave highlights the mother-daughter bond we so rarely see in Disney films, La Luna shines a light (pun intended I guess) on three generations of men: son, father, and grandfather. It is a wonderful commentary on letting children discover their own path, make their own choices, and reap the rewards of their own hard work. A simply beautiful tale, which yes, brought me to tears. (This may be because my own littlest son, Giovanni, looks so much like the little boy, Bambino, in the film, but I’d like to think it’s just that great of a short film!)
The musical score by Michael Giacchino is a perfect accompaniment, as usual. La Luna now holds my choice for best Pixar short. Directed by Enrico Casarosa and produced by Kevin Reher, La Luna appears before Brave, which opens everywhere this Friday, June 22. Enjoy!