Red's Dream (1987)

Touches You

Sorry, this movie sucks

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

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.

Red's Dream (1987) *** (out of 4) This early Pixar short works best when you really think at how remarkable the animation was considering the entire CG thing was rather new so in many ways this short is very fresh and original. It tells the story of a red unicycle who is sitting alone in a store on a dark and stormy night. The unicycle then begins to dream what it would be like if someone would actually buy it and let it impress them. Once again, I was really impressed with the visual style of the film as the animation is quite good even though it's still rather young in its making. I thought the entire look of the film was wonderful especially the early shots of the rain, the look of the store and the very final shot. There really aren't any laughs but I guess that's not a bad thing as this movie was clearly meant to tell a brief story that's charming.

'Red's Dream', at the time of writing, currently ranks as one of Pixar's lesser known efforts, something which I find quite ironic considering the subject matter of this endearing little short - a lonely and dejected unicycle has to deal with being the only item in a bicycle store restricted to the clearance corner. His only real coping mechanism is to sit there dreaming of better things, and the amazing stunts he could pull if only given a chance to prove his worth, in particular upstaging a rather clueless clown in the circus ring. It's more of a situation than a story, really, but it works very well, and you get a good feel of Red's sorrow and predicament as it goes. And I can't help but love it as much as any of the company's classic material - it's downbeat, there isn't a great deal to laugh at, and its overall sombreness will probably come as quite a shock to anyone raised solely on 'Knick Knack', 'For the Birds' and Pixar's other various laugh-out-loud contributions. But 'Red's Dream' manages to hold the viewer's attention through something a little more striking than just its potential comedy value. For all its fantastical personification, it succeeds in capturing a very real and very poignant aspect of human nature - that is, the desire for escapism from a bleak reality.The reality in which our protagonist lives - as reflected in the colourlessness of the bicycle store - is cruel and harsh, and subjects him to constant negligence from those around him (not even the other bicycles seem to respond to him). But Red finds solace in his dream, however temporarily, and I know that everyone can identify with him on that one on at least some level, just as we can all see something of ourselves in both Woody and Buzz of the 'Toy Story' realm. Strange as it may sound, you really end up feeling for this poor little wheel, and when he envisions his colourful circus scene, and being loved by the audience, you really wish that it could come true and that he could stay there. But at the same time, you're left with the uneasy awareness that that's all it is - a dream, and nothing more - and that Red will have to face up to the real world sooner or later.The 3D animation quality is nice enough - that clown does look pretty grotesque and chunky I'll admit, being Pixar's first real attempt at an organic character, and a telling sign of their current lack of expertise in this particular field, but then again, he IS a clown, so I don't think it really matters! Otherwise, the visuals are thumbs up, and Red himself is undeniably cute (it says, a lot don't you think, that you can end up getting attached to an animated unicycle with no organic features whatsoever?) On the whole, the general mood of the short did leave me feeling a little cold, but appropriately so, and it's definitely worthy of being a classic in the same league as 'Luxo Jr'.Above all, Pixar are capable of making me actually care about such everyday inanimate objects as desk lamps, tin toys, miniature snowmen and unicycles - and that has got to be worth something.Grade: A-

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!