The Blue Umbrella is a 2013 Pixar short film that was not nominated for an Oscar and is not one of their best efforts, but it still has its strengths.
The story is my biggest complaint in The Blue Umbrella. It is romantic and it can bring joy to you and it is emotional and endearing, but it is typical and just so cliched, predictable and overused. But above all it is a stolen idea. It is basically a rip-off of Disney’s ‘Johnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet‘ which is a segment from ‘Make Mine Music‘. It is about two hats falling in love and this is about the two umbrellas in love. It follows the same basic formula, but is still engaging to watch and sympathetic.
The characters are okay. Both the red and the blue umbrella exhibit real emotion which is an evident technical prowess on the part of the animators that they brought emotion to difficult inanimate objects. And I like the rest of the street objects as well and they are used very well and are the highlights.
The animation is the film’s standout and the chief reason to see this short. It is absolutely incredible with its photorealistic realism and great attention to detail in both the clothing and the lighting. It has great smooth and muted colors and is wonderful to behold. The score is also quite solid and moving and although the movie lasts a bit too long, it is still very well made and shot.
The Blue Umbrella isn’t one of Pixar’s best efforts due to its rip-off and basic storyline, but it still has fascinating animation, solid score and inherent romantic sensibilities to it.
The Blue Umbrella Review
