‘Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 2’ Blu-ray Review

The other Pixar Blu-ray out this week besides Brave is Volume 2 of Pixar’s Short Film Collection. The last volume came out five years ago and contained a lot of the studio’s early shorts. Since then, it’s become tradition to include shorts on their major Blu-ray releases, so I was wondering if this release would offer anything new or if it would be more shorts we already have.

Well, it’s a lot of stuff we already have and a few other things that make it worth it.

I’ve got a folder on my media center full of Pixar shorts that I’ve ripped, and so I was eager to see which shorts were on this volume that I didn’t already have from one of Pixar’s other Blu-rays. Unfortunately, the 12 main shorts are (mainly) available on other Pixar Blu-rays, but there are a few new additions. Combined with some awesome bonus features, this disc is worth it if you can find it at a good price.

The Shorts

Your Friend the Rat
I love this short, but I’ve owned it on Blu-ray since Ratatouille came out. Remy and Emile tell the story of the Rat and make it through about every form of animation that’s been around the past century. I can’t get enough of Patton Oswalt as Remy, but even beyond that this is just a fun animated short.

Presto
One of my all-time favorite Pixar shorts, Presto is about a magician and a hungry rabbit, and it’s pure Looney Tunes style slapstick awesomeness. You already own this one in HD if you have Wall-E on Blu-ray, though.

BURN-E
I believe this started the trend of adding an extra short (usually about minor characters) to Pixar movies’ Blu-ray releases. It’s not the most exciting short, but it’s cute. This was also included on the Wall-E Blu-ray.

Partly Cloudy
Another of my favorites, Partly Cloudy was shown in theaters before Up and was the directorial debut of Pete Sohn, voice of Emile in Ratatouille and Pixar animator. I can watch this one over and over, but again, this is a Blu-ray double-dip if you own Up.

Dug’s Special Mission
Another bonus short that was for the Up Blu-ray, this follows the special mission that the dogs talk about Dug having in the movie. It’s decent, but isn’t that great.

George and A.J.
I had never seen this, but boy it was underwhelming. It looks like a storyboard, which is too bad, because it could have been better as a fully animated short. I think this one was an online exclusive when Up came out. So, this is new to Blu-ray, but I don’t think anyone will care.

Day & Night
This played before Toy Story 3, and is a great example of Pixar’s creativity. It blends 2D and CG animation and looks amazing doing so, but again, if you have Toy Story 3 on Blu-ray, you’ve already got this one.

Toy Story Toons: Hawaain Vacation
I love the Toy Story Toons, and I think they’re a great way to let the characters live on. In Toy Story 3, Barbie and Ken were two of my favorite characters, so I was glad to see them get the focus in this short. They mistakingly thing they’re getting taken to Hawaii, so the rest of the gang pulls together to give them a staycation to cheer them up. Also available on the Cars 2 Blu-ray, which I doubt many of you own because it’s horrible.

Car Toons: Air Mater
The Car Toons are actually pretty great when you compare them to Cars 2, but again, this one isn’t exclusive to this Blu-ray.

Toy Story Toons: Small Fry
Now we’re talking. This short played before The Muppets and I’ve been dying to have it on Blu-ray ever since. Small Fry tells the story of a mini-Buzz Lightyear fast food toy who switches places with the real Buzz. Pixar’s own Teddy Newton voices the little guy, but the real treat is the AA style meetings Buzz attends with all the discarded fast food toys, including one voiced by Jane Lynch.

Car Toons: Time Travel Mater
This was the one short I hadn’t seen, and it’s pretty cool. For one, it’s about Time Travel, and second, it has John Michael Higgins in it, and that guy is hilarious in anything he’s in.

La Luna
A great short which is also available on the Brave Blu-ray.

The Bonus Features

The one thing that makes the double-dipping acceptable is that this time around all the shorts have commentaries by their directors. If you’re a hardcore Pixar fan, this adds a lot of value to the set. The real stand-out bonus feature here though are the Pixar Director’s student films. There are seven student films, from the likes of John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter. These include cool introductions from the directors, and is a nice little piece of Pixar history.

The Verdict

With only three of the twelve main shorts making their debut on this set, it’s not an obvious recommendation. If you’re a Pixar completist or you don’t own a lot of these shorts already, it would definitely be worth the $25 or so. If you already have the 9 double-dipped shorts, the only thing you’ll get are three shorts, commentaries, and the bonus features.

My best recommendation is to wait until the price comes down under twenty bucks and then pick it up. Otherwise you can buy it from Amazon now.

Disclaimer: This review was based on a free review copy. Read my blog disclosure statement for more.