Friday, July 10, 2009

The Art of Pixar Short Films Book Review

The Art of Pixar Short Films Book Review







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Written By: Amid Amidi
Forward By: John Lasseter
Published By: Chronicle Books

About the Book: While Pixar Animation Studios was creating beloved feature-length films such as Monsters Inc. Ratatouille and WALLïE it was simultaneously testing animation and storytelling techniques in dozens of memorable short films. Andre and Wally B proved that computer animation was possible; Tin Toy laid the groundwork for what would become Toy Story; and Mike’s New Car exposed Pixar’s finely tuned funny bone. In The Art of Pixar Short Films animation expert and short film devotee Amid Amidi shines a spotlight on these and many more memorable vignettes from the Pixar archive. Essays and interviews illuminate more than 250 full-color pastels pencil sketches storyboards and final rendered frames that were the foundation of Pixar’s creative process.

About the Author:Amid Amidi is the co-founder of CartoonBrew.com and author of Cartoon Modern. He lives in New York City. John Lasseter is the chief creative officer at Pixar, and the director of Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, and Cars.

Review: This book is really a stand-apart from the other Pixar “Art Of” titles, because it explores an aspect that is beloved by children and adult animation fans alike..the Pixar short films. The forward by the great John Lasseter brings an immediate credibility to the book. From the moment that you delve into this title you are bombarded by information and images. You get to go in-depth into how Pixar creates their short films, and of course you get the art. You get to see production photos, backrounds, wire sculptures, sketches and other concepts.

A lot of us had never heard of Pixar studios prior to the release of Toy Story in 1995. This book gives you insight into the company all the way back to the 1980s and highlights all of their achievements and milestones that made Pixar what it is today…an innovative animation powerhouse.

One nice thing about this book is that its full of important information, but it also frees up a majority of its space for the actual artwork. To avoid getting too wordy was really the goal in a book like this and Amidi did a fantastic job of balancing the artwork and the information.

Amidi is a well-known online blogger and animation personality from CartoonBrew.com. His creation of this title is a great addition to the Pixar Shorts Collection DVD/Blu-Ray release. They should be sold together, in my opinion.

Rating: 5 out of 5

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