SparkShorts

A couple of the shorts aside-Smash and Grab and Burrow spring to mind-this series of charming short films grapple with much more mature subject matter than most Pixar films (or at least the mature themes are more blunt). Some of the subjects includes coming out as gay, autism, sexism in the workplace, parenting and animal abuse (implied dog fighting). All of the material is handled with the grace and care we associate with Pixar but the shorts all have a freer hand to be darker and more pointed in their themes.

It is also true that the animation styles utilized in the collection are wide ranging and diverse. A few of the shorts are impressionistic 2d animation. A few others play around with objective and subjective camera to try to get viewers in the headspace of a character. With the exception of Burrow none of them have the cartoony Disney softness to the animation. Indeed, most do not feel like Disney, Pixar products at all. This is meant as a complement.

As with most collections the shorts vary in quality. I think Purl's central metaphor is clunky. Wind is a little too twee and strangely sad. But each one is worth seeing and some of them compete with the best Pixar shorts. Kitbull is-by far-the strongest in the collection. It is such a tender tale of friendship and kindness but also cruelty of the world. It stays with you in its melding of animation story and theme.