Classic Pixar Shorts Showcase: Luxo, Jr.

Hello & welcome back to Classic Pixar Shorts Showcase.  And today, I am taking a look at what is perhaps the most iconic and important piece of animation that Pixar worked on that isn't Toy Story.  Leonard Maltin once said that the main character in this short was Pixar's Mickey Mouse regarding the importance he has to the company.  With that out of the way, let's begin.

The Plot

The plot is rather simple in it, we follow two lamps.  An adult lamp, who apparently is the father and our main character, Luxo, Jr. as he plays with a ball and he bounces on it and it is flattened.   So, Luxo tries to find something else to do and finds a bigger beach ball and is father just lets it go.  Now this short is only two minutes long but in those two minutes, many iconic things were introduced such as the aforementioned Luxo ball.

And of course,  Luxo, Jr.  who has gone on to become part of the iconic Pixar logo.

Luxo, Jr.  has gone on to become the mascot and  his legacy is quite important to the company.   I'd go so as far to say that his importance surpasses that of the first Toy Story film.  And it helps that he had an entertaining short to be in as well.  Luxo even went on to appear in a few Sesame Street segments.  





Characters


Luxo, Jr.

Luxo, Jr. was just so adorable in how much fun, he was having with that ball.  I truly enjoyed watching him and this short was the first sign at how well, Pixar was bringing characters to life.


Luxo, Sr.

There isn't too much to say about Luxo, Sr. but I did get the feeling that he was a bit exasperated watching his son but enjoyed spending time with him nonetheless.  



My Final Thoughts


What a short!  This  one like Steamboat Willie before it kicked off a wonderful legacy for a an animation studio that would go on the produce some of the greatest animated films of all time and their style and understanding of the visual medium can all be traced back to this magnificent short.  This short is part, the reason I started this retrospective because whenever people do a Pixar retrospective,  they only talk about the films and that's fine but  while I love their films,  I believe Pixar is at their best with their shorts as I feel most of their shorts surpass their animated features in how good, they are but of course, that is just me.  You may not agree and that is okay.  Join me next week as I continue my look at Pixar's shorts as I take a look at...

Red's Dream