El sueño de Red

I gotta admit that if you watch this film today and don't understand the context for it, then you will most likely not be particularly impressed. It's such a very simple animated short and one that seems amazingly ordinary--something you could easily make today given the right rendering software and a home computer. However, think back to 1987. People rarely had home computers and those who did had systems with 8086 or 8088 processors--not much more power than a modern calculator (less in some cases). There were often no hard drives--those that did exist were minuscule. Macintosh computers were relatively new and very simple and Windows was still a vague idea, as IBM compatible computers used primitive versions of DOS as the operating systems. And, most importantly, most games were either text only or had very, very rudimentary graphics. In this context, RED'S DREAM is absolutely amazing and breathtaking. The Pixar folks were not yet a big company but just a few individuals doing work on huge computers and they had to design all the software themselves!! And, in spite of all this, the graphics were lovely and the story of a lonely unicycle quite watchable--even though it was really more an experimental film than anything else. Put in this light, my score of 8 seems amazingly low, but I must admit that in an age when we expect so much more, this isn't the most exciting CG animation I've seen. Still, it's a great film.

Didn't anyone else notice the reference to the opening moments of Citizen Kane? (Rain, dark exterior, flashing neon reflected inside?) I agree with the other comments on this site, i.e. that this is an amazing piece of computer graphic animation given the technology available at the time. It is short, but within the four minutes manages to sketch a vignette of Red's existence. The clown (and his accompanying unoriginal circus music) are wooden -- especially the face -- the real expressiveness is left to Red himself, which he manages by wheel (body) and saddle (head) movements which clearly refer to Disney animal characters in the viewer's memory. Red also has the expressive jazzy music.

A unicycle dreams.

The relfective water and rain really shows us something that was not yet commonplace. Like other of the early Pixar shorts, this has some impressive animation that pushed the boundaries, and is otherwise not all that interesting. It's slow, repetitive and not especially funny. The cartoon physics gag especially is weak - Looney Tunes had done substantially better decades earlier.

Basically the titular Red imagines that a Pennywise level creepy clown would use him as part of his juggling act. Three and a half minutes. It's on Disney+, at no extra charge after the subscription fee.

I recommend this only to completists. 6/10.

The folks at Pixar do a wonderful job here. While this isn't their best short, it is definitely a fine one and the hero here is a surprising one: a little red bike, an inanimate Walter Mitty! I got caught up in this short. Pixar really should re-release their collection of their short films. The short work they do is all at least interesting and most of it is magnificent! Well worth hunting up and most highly recommended.

Pixar were starting to experiment. After the success of their previous short 'Luxo Jr', Lasseter attempted to recreate the technicality and wonderment of the animation by introducing new techniques. Imitating geographically complex locations, such as the bike shop, showcased how advanced rendering has evolved throughout the 80s. Lasseter was able to detail several bicycles (include the spokes) and still maintain a consistent frame rate. Still, he managed to convey a story through visually striking methods, this time an unwanted unicycle nostalgically dreaming about its time at the circus. As minimal and weak as the story is, it melancholically portrays depression. A somewhat mature theme for the younger audience, but with enough buoyancy and creativity to keep them engaged. The anthropomorphic objects are consistently animated and uphold a sense of personality, however with the introduction of a human character, highlights areas of weakness in terms of animation. That clown is something else. Absolutely terrifying, and I'm sure many kids bursted into tears. The rigid formation, stiff facial features and essence of inhumanity show that replicating human models was just not ready. Although, an admirable attempt nonetheless. Certain aesthetics have aged well, others have not. Red's Dream certainly is no nightmare, but not the idyllic fantasy Lasseter may have visualised. Certainly ambitious!