Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

It was six years to the day of this release since the previous volume of Pixar short films released to Blu-ray and about seven years since volume one debuted on the format. In that time, the studio has released many of its best films to Blu-ray, many accompanied by several of these shorts. This collection holds those as well as some that are new to disc. They feature classic characters as well several new faces. The films are uniformly terrific in their own ways and within their own tonal and stylistic presentations and storytelling approaches. Like their big brother/big sister Pixar films, gorgeous and cutting edge animation is not the most prominent component. It’s instead the genuine heart and richly developed characters and narratives which are evident even in runtimes that last just a few minutes. These shorts, particularly more heartfelt films like Pao, Piper, and The Blue Umbrella, are a testament to the medium and the people who made them.

• Bao (7:41): This film follows the life of an overprotective mother and her son, a Baozi, who grows increasingly distant from her. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Incredibles 2.
• Lou (6:43): A whimsical monster made of lost and found items teaches a schoolyard bully how to play nice with others by making him return their lost items to them and becoming their friend in the process. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Cars 3.
• Piper (6:05): A baby bird learns to leave the nest and hunt for food on the beach while making unexpected friends along the way. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Finding Dory.
• Sanjay’s Super Team (7:07): Father and son clash as an Indian-American boy learns more about his heritage. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with The Good Dinosaur.
• Riley’s First Date? (4:40): Story extension for Inside Out. A boy comes calling for Riley and has an awkward sit-down with her father. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Inside Out.
• Lava (7:12): A musical retelling of a myth about how two volcanoes met and became one island. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Inside Out.
• The Radiator Springs 500 ½ (6:12): Lightning McQueen defends the town of Radiator Springs against some interlopers during the festival celebrating the town’s founder. Originally aired on Disney Movies Anywhere.
• Party Central (5:33): Mike and Sully help the Oozma Kappa guys throw a real frat party during freshman rush week. Debuted with the theatrical release of Muppets Most Wanted and then on Disney Movies Anywhere.
• The Blue Umbrella (6:46): A unique look at a rainstorm from the perspective of the buildings, roads and umbrellas caught in the rain. Also, an umbrella love story. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Monsters University.
• The Legend of Mor’du (6:51): This short tells the tale of Mor’du, whose desire for power over family resulted in his transformation into a bear. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Brave.
• Partysaurus Rex (6:34): Rex gets the chance to be someone new when he is chosen as a bath time toy. He learns that rules are in place for a reason when the party spirals out of control. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with the Monsters, Inc. Ultimate Collector's Edition.
• Marine Life Interviews (2:04): Various characters from the Marine Life Institute are asked about Dory. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Finding Dory.
• Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool (2:48): A comical infomercial for a driving school that claims to have trained Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez. This film was originally released on Blu-ray with Cars 3.

Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

These are Pixar shorts, so it should come as no surprise that the Blu-ray presentations are first-rate. The 1080p resolution squeezes out an incredible level of definition and clarity in each short, whether more spiritedly animated shorts like Partysaurus Rex and The Radiator Springs 500 ½ or shorts that offer breathtaking, borderline photorealistic imagery, like Piper and The Blue Umbrella. Piper's clarity on sandy beaches, encroaching water and waves, birds, and a few other odds and ends is nothing short of striking. The same can be said for practically any short, including kitchen surfaces and appliances in Pao or larger scale structural, playground, and object details in Lou. Colors are incredibly dynamic and vivid, notably across some of the more familiar characters who appear in these shorts like Lightning McQueen, Anger, and Sulley and Mike. Whether core character colors, splashy support hues, or modest background accents, there's no missing the palette's intensity, clarity, and accuracy. No source or encode issues of note are apparent, but The Blue Umbrella does stylistically fold in a little noise atop a finely desaturated image. This is Blu-ray reference video through-and-through.

Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike Olaf's Frozen Adventure, which limited that collection's new release Frozen-inspired title short with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio only, Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 offers several language options, chief amongst them a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. The presentation does default to the DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 track instead, perhaps because the final short in the collection, Miss Fritter's Racing Skool, is curiously absent the 7.1 track, leaving that DTS-HD High resolution track the best option of several.

Broadly speaking, music is rich and fluid throughout the shorts. The front end carries the essentials while the surrounds are engaged in fairly prominent support, but all of the musical elements converge into a seamlessly immersive and richly detailed presentation. The wordless shorts in particular are a joy. Right off the bat, Bao impresses with wonderful musical clarity, pronounced surround, and a well integrated low end as necessary, qualities which hold true for the duration. Support effects are nicely integrated as well, in Bao, of course, and throughout the entire collection. Whether gently rolling waters moving through the stage to begin Piper or some more rambunctious audio in support of the bustling playground in Lou, the track delivers a finely-honed listening experience. Piper additionally offers a very robust and dynamic wave of water that rushes into the listening area, while Sanjay delivers airy, open sound elements in one key, and fairly dark, scene that sonically enriches the moment with spacing that enlarges the theater many fold. A nice sense of falling rain in Blue Umbrella is apparent, even without an overhead speaker component, which creates a seamless, subtle, and realistic environmental sensation. Contrarily, big action dynamics in Partysaurus Rex accompany a make-believe scene in which the title toy briefly plays a Godzilla-like character during bath time. There are some minor disappointments, such as the lack of more dynamic bass during race scenes and crashes in Radiator Springs, but for the most part the track is healthy, fluid, and detailed throughout the collection.

Dialogue, as it's a part of the program, is clear and center-positioned. Only select shorts even have dialogue of significance, and only these shorts offer additional French and Spanish language options. They are Riley's First Date?, Lava, The Radiator Springs 500 ½, Party Central, The Legend of Mor'Du, Partysaurus Rex, Marine Life Interviews, and Miss Fritter's Racing School.

Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 contains introductions, audio commentaries, and a couple of additional extras. A DVD copy of the program and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. The release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Introductions (1080p, various runtimes): Filmmakers briefly discuss the shorts in optional intros.
• Audio Commentaries: For Bao: Director Domee Shi, Producer Becky Neiman-Cobb, and Production Designer Rona Liu. For Lou: Director/Writer Dave Mullins, Producer Dana Murray, and Editor Tony Greenberg. For Piper: Director/Writer Alan Barilaro and Editor Sarah Reimers. For Sanjay's Super Team: Director/Writer Sanjay Patel and Producer Nicole Grindle. For Riley's First Date?: Director/Writer Josh Cooley and Producer Mark Nielsen. For Lava: Director/Writer Jim Murphy and Producer Andrea Warren. For The Radiator Springs 500 ½: Co-Director Scott Morse and Editor Torbin Bullock. For Party Central: Director/Writer Kelsey Mann. For The Blue Umbrella: Director/Writer Saschka Unseld, Lighting Supervisor Brian Boyd and Supervising Technical Director Christ Burrows. For The Legend of Mor'du: Director/Writer Brian Larsen and Writer Steve Purcell. For Partysaurus Rex: Director/Writer Mark Walsh. For Marine Life Interviews: Director Ross Haldane Stevenson and Associate Producer Finding Dory Bob Roath. For Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool: Director/Writer Jim Murphy and Producer Marc Sondheimer.
• Making Bao (1080p, 6:02): Writer/Director Domee Shi opens up about the short she made. This piece was also on the Incredibles 2 disc.
• Caricature: A Horrible way of Saying "I Love You" (1080p, 3:53): Various Pixar artists and directors discuss the use of caricature in the company, how it has become a mark of respect to be caricatured by coworkers (some of which are displayed for the camera), and how having fun helps lighten things up and spark creativity.

Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While many these shorts have appeared on previous Pixar Blu-ray releases, as notated above, there are three reasons for fans and collectors who already own most or all of those discs to buy this set. The first is that some of these have not previously released to Blu-ray, previously exhibited theatrically and/or only available digitally. The second reason is convenience, to be able to watch them uninterrupted. The third is to encourage Pixar to continue making these short films and releasing these collections on physical media, and hopefully in 4K UHD in the future. Yet even in 1080p, the visuals are striking. The primary 7.1 lossless audio track is terrific, too, and the inclusion of film introductions, commentaries, and a couple of additional extras make this set a treasure for Pixar and animation fans as well as viewers with a funny bone, a hearty spirit, and an open heart. Very highly recommended.