The Best Pixar Short Films, All 18 Ranked

Pixar Short Films

For years, Pixar has enchanted us with their emotional storytelling and stellar animation. One of the best parts about the studio is their tradition of running a short film before each feature film. Some of these are heartfelt and emotional, while others are comedic. We'll only be covering original Pixar short films, so things like Mike's New Car that are based on existing Pixar films won't be included here.

18. The Adventures of Andre and Wally B

This short animation dates all the way back to 1984, as one of Pixar's very first works. This one may not have ever showed before a full moviem but was finally released to fans when Pixar shorts made their way to DVD. It's a quirky short that shows a fight between Andre and Wally B, who's trying to sting him.

17. Knick Knack

Knick Knack showed before Finding Nemo in theaters, and has a more Tom and Jerry-like style than others. A lone snownman sits in a snowglobe on a shelf, while the other Knick Knacks sit out in the open air next to him, happy and partying. Deciding he wants to join them, he starts trying a bunch of different ways to escape his watery prison.

16. Boundin

Boundin is a bit different from most Pixar short, as it's a bit of a musical. This short that showed before The Incredibles, is about a sheep that has been sheared and lost his confidence as other animals make fun of him. A friendly Jackalope comes along and helps restore the sheeps confidence through song, reminding us to always believe in ourselves.

15. Tin Toy

Tin Toy is very much the precursor to Toy Story, focusing on a small tin one man band named Tinny. A baby enters the room and Tinny is delighted at the chance to be played with...until he finds out how destructive the baby is.

14. Lava

Leave it to Pixar to bring life to totally inanimate objects. They did it with toys and cars, and then this short brought volcanoes to life. Yes, volcanoes. Gorgeously animated and filled with song, Lava tells the story of two wildlly different volcanoes who love each other and, because of being stationary volcanoes, have trouble being together.

13. Red's Dream

A red unicycle sits abandoned in the corner of a bicycle store, where it dreams of being ridden by a clown. The clown only gets scattered applause from the crowd, and the unicycle slides out from under him and begins to juggle the balls itself. In a depressing turn, the clapping it receives turns to rain, and the unicycle wakes up to find it was a dream and sadly goes back to sleep again.

12. Partly Cloudy

Another one of the most visually impressive shorts, Partly Cloudy focuses on the story of storks delivering babies. Sentient clouds produce the babies, while the storks pick them up and deliver them. One cloud has trouble getting a stork though, as it produces all the babies for dangerous animals. One intrepid bird, who's a bit different, takes up the task however and the stork and cloud build a budding friendship.

11. One Man Band

Two different one man bands battle it out to get a piece of gold from a young girl in this short. The two trade musical blows, adding even more ridiculous instruments and acts to try and one-up each other. The whole thing gets turned on its head however, when the girl surprises everyone by pulling out a violin and musically obliterates both of them.

10, Piper

Pixar's latest short debuted before Finding Dory this year, and still retains as much charm as heart as ever. A baby sandpiper is terrified to leave its nest because of how scary the outside world is. Its mother forces its first terrified steps, but after a while the baby starts finding beautiful and fascinating things, making friends along the way. Growing up and heading out into the world on our own is something all of us can identify with.

9. For the Birds

The first Pixar short featuring birds also has an important lesson to impart on audiences. This short which showed before Monsters Inc. shows a group of tiny birds sitting on a telephone wire. When a giant bird unlike the rest of them shows up, they start gossiping, giving it nasty looks and even trying to knock it off. Eventually things turn back on the small birds and they learn to accept the big one, reminding us to not judge others needlessly.

8. The Blue Umbrella

This love story takes place in a rainy city, where the items in the streets take on faces and personalities of their own. The humans milling around all have umbrellas, most of which appear black, except for two: a blue one and a red one. As their owners stop at a store, the two meet and become smitten. As their owners part ways, the items of the city start acting to reunite them, ultimately uniting their owners as well. It's a charming short about love.

7. Lifted

Taking a Driver's License test is a nerve wracking experience for anyone, something that Lifted runs with. A young alien is taking the test, trying to navigate a sleeping human out of their house with a tractor beam, and into the UFO. The alien struggles to figure out the controls of the board, all while bumping the human into every hard object he can.

6. Sanjay's Super Team

One of the most visually impressive Pixar shorts also tells a heartwarming story. A young boy wants to watch his superhero TV show, while his father is trying to meditate at a Hindu shrine. Each of them is bothering the other until the boy is forced to join the father. As he meditates, the boy imagines a great superhero like battle with Hindu gods, and gains a new appreciation for the meditation, ultimately bringing him closer with his father as well.

5. La Luna

La Luna is a short that literally spans generations. A grandfather, son and grandson are in a small boat on their way to a job. The older two begin arguing over every little thing, and eventually we see their goal. They climb onto the moon and begin sweeping up the stars fallen on it, to put back in the night sky. Each generation overcomes their differences and works together, creating a beautiful scene in the night sky together.

4. Geri's Game

Geri's Game is certainly a charming short, but one that's also a bit heartbreaking. Geri is an elderly man sitting alone at a chess table, who begins to play. After taking a turn he gets up and moves to the other side, taking on an entirely new, and darker persona. Both versions of Geri go back and forth on turns with some really fun interactions mixed in. Eventually, the good Geri triumphs, winning a set of dentures as the prize. He laughs quietly as the camera pans out showing him still alone at the table.

3. Luxo Jr.

Luxo Jr. stars Pixar's iconic mascot, the lamp, and brings it to life like the company is so good at doing. An adult lamp sits on a desk with a young lamp. As the younger lamp finds a ball to play with, its antics start to annoy the older lamp. Its a charming short that shows Pixar's unique ability to fill the unlikeliest of objects with heart and character.

2. Presto

Presto is another funny short done in proper Tom and Jerry fashion. A magician has a special trick where he pulls a rabbit out of a hat, but the rabbit really only wants the carrot the magician uses. The rabbit then begins to try and outsmart the magician, using the magic hat agianst him. Gorgous animation and authentic humor fuel this battle between the two.

1. Day & Night

Day and Night is one gorgeous piece of animation. Two beings representing day and night run into each other, both thinking they're better than the other. As they start showing each other the wonderful things that happen during each of them, the two bond over it. It's a gorgeous blend of 2D and 3D animation, and has a message of acceptance and understanding, showing the best that Pixar can be.