The Blue Umbrella

Since the characters in this are umbrellas, we have to have rain (which we do). The umbrellas have to have personality (which they do). The interaction between them as they jockey for position on the street is fun to watch. Pixar has a way of moving a step above the competition. Well done.

The Blue Umbrella is yet again a brilliant and heartwarming short film that Pixar pulled off very well.When it first came on before Monsters University I thought it seemed really stupid,i said to myself,'how am I suppose to feel any love for an umbrella?',but they did it and I actually enjoyed this short even more than some previous shorts Pixar did (La Luna,Lifted,One Man Band,etc.) and I was so surprised that I cared so much about this male umbrella reuniting with the female umbrella,and the animation was just beautiful.Its not Pixar's best short,but anyone who's a fan of their previous shorts will definitely appreciate this.

A blue umbrella meets a red umbrella that he falls in love with,when the two separate,the blue umbrella escapes from his owners hands to find the female umbrella.

Maybe not one of Pixar's absolute best short films in the same way Geri's Game, One Man Band, Presto and Knick-Knack are, but that can be ignored because The Blue Umbrella doesn't disappoint at all. It accompanies Monsters University wonderfully, one of those cases where the short film and the feature are about equal in rating and quality and not a case of the short film being better or the feature being so. The visuals are stunning to watch, with everything looking so real and there are a lot of lavish colours. The music matches the quality of the visuals, it is understated and gentle but immensely charming also. The story, effective in its simplicity, keeps ones attention even with the brief(perhaps too brief?) running time and never feels too obvious, it has a lot of whimsy and heart, as well being very touching. And of course it is very charming too, from the very start right through the ending. The ending was especially well done in this being heartfelt and touching respect. That is not to say though that The Blue Umbrella isn't without funny moments, there are some but done subtly and gently without being in-your-face. The characters are simple but really sweet, carrying the story beautifully. Overall, beautiful and heartfelt, not one of the best Pixar short films but it didn't need to be to be good. All it needed really was to be of at least good quality, and it ended up to be great quality. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A very sweet, simple story about a blue umbrella falling in love with a red umbrella. The animation is gorgeous and the soundtrack is fittingly charming.

Though giving the red umbrella (and the red umbrella alone, in a sea of umbrellas) extra long eyelashes and her human rain boots with 3" heels felt a bit unnecessary. Have you ever even seen rain boots with heels? It comes across as stupid rather than the "it's a straight couple" assurance I assume they were going for.

I do think this was a great animated short. PIXAR really outdid themselves with the hyper-realistic CGI in here, and the simple story of a blue umbrella falling for a red umbrella in a sea of indifferent, monochromatic umbrellas. The subtle expressions of their surrounding environment can really captivate future animators who're looking for something to build off of.

Unfortunately, it's slightly awkward to watch in a theater, as it comes before Monsters University, and it makes me feel as though some people may have walked into the wrong movie. I really want them to enjoy it, but because of its placement, it's hard to do so.

I'm sure PIXAR had good intentions placing it before Monsters University started, but with a bunch of kids coming in to watch MU, I don't think it will garner much positive attention. I, for one, like it, but parents of rambunctious kids may not find it funny when their kid starts to act out from boredom. Maybe those kids will appreciate this short in the future, but not today.