Red's Dream (1987)

Some things I liked some I did not.

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Fantastic!

Not Pixar at their very best, but a very impressive early effort. The animation on the clown is a little rough especially to how the rest of the animation looked and I personally think the short could have been a little longer. But for such an early Pixar short Red's Dream does look great and holds up really well, the most striking being the noir-ish opening sequence that could have easily won an award on its own. Also loved the bright and atmospheric colours, the meticulous detail given to the rainfall and even by the look of his design you immediately connect with Red. Red's Dream has an intimate music score and sound effects that are subtly used but authentic, the rain falling actually sounds like rain falling. The story is very simple but Red's Dream is an example of simplicity done right, it has a lot of charm as well subtly moving and hauntingly moody. It sustains the short length beautifully and doesn't feel rushed. The characters are also simple but immensely likable too, you'd never think that you'd fall in love with such a simple object like an unicycle but you certainly do with Red. To conclude, not among Pixar's best but a beautifully done short that is proof of not doing an awful lot but still be good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I saw this short for the first time whilst renting the first volume of Pixar shorts and while it's not the best of the shorts from the 1980s it has detailed graphics and stunning effects for its era.The most realistic part of the exterior street design is the rainfall and I like the slow jazzy music played while Red is shown in the clearance section of Eben's Bikes (named after one of Pixar's technical directors) as well as the circus music played during Red's dream sequence. Like 'Luxo Jr,' the background in the dream sequence is dark and the clown is just as creepy-looking as the baby in Tin-Toy but at least Red and the juggling balls are brightly coloured and I liked how Red tried to assist the clown with his juggling act, which eventually led to the hilarious consequence of the clown not realising he was sitting on Red and falling to the ground. Also I liked how Red had moved to another part of the bike shop whilst he was dreaming and returned to his usual corner.All in all, this is my least favourite of the earlier Pixar shorts but it had great music, specially effects and graphics. 7/10.

Red's Dream is the third (short) film by Pixar and the second from mastermind John Lasseter (not counting his two unrelated works around 1980. And after parent and child lamp in Luxo Jr., he breezed life this time into an old unicycle the very own Pixar way. It's a rainy night, the shop is closed and nobody's on the street, when Red starts dreaming about what it would be like to be a big star, first being an assistant to a juggling clown at a circus and then taking over and juggling himself before bowing down to the standing ovations from the crowd. Sadly, it was just a dream for the little one, but the dream of Pixar becoming one of the most influential and prestigious animation company's was becoming more and more reality with these 4 minutes.It an animation effort from over 25 years ago that was well ahead of its time and you just had to enjoy their attention to detail, like the "50% off"-sticker referring equally to the number of wheels. Also the way the little unicycle lowers its head after realizing it was just a dream, is a perfect display of how Pixar never fails to convey true emotion, even if it comes from inanimate objects. Pretty good short film and you could already see they'd be up to grand things in the 90s.

Just like Red, waiting abandoned in the corner- This is an undeniable star just waiting to shine. The film is very short and kind of silly, but it's one that takes multiple viewings to get a true appreciation of it. Watch for the expression of total disgust from "Red" as the clown goes on oblivious to what's happening to him. The timing is perfect and hilarious. Good job Pixar!