The Blue Umbrella (2013)

This short animation tells the story of a happy blue umbrella in the crowd of unhappy umbrellas. He meets a red umbrella by chance, and they fall in love.I cannot quite believe that a film that is only seven minutes can still be far too long. It can easily be cut into just two minutes. I was honestly thoroughly bored by the lack of things happening most of the time. The only time when things get a little exciting is when the umbrella gets blown over. Other times it is just plain boring. The story is not convincing or likely either. The only good point is that no human faces are shown, even though the film is actually related to the owners of the umbrellas.

What I like about this animated short is the photorealistic animation and lighting. I like the way various objects in this film have faces with expressions. These objects include street signs, street lights, awnings, mailboxes, windows, drain pipes, rain gutters, etc. All these objects come to life during a rain storm. Umbrellas also have faces during this rainstorm including a blue umbrella and a red umbrella who meet and fall in love. There is no dialogue in this animated short only facial expressions. I think it is very artistic the way a story is told with just imagery and facial expressions This animated short also includes a pleasant musical score. So I find 'The Blue Umbrella' delightful.

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.

This is yet another Disney/Pixar computer-animated short shown before their main feature which in this case is Monsters University. This one has a different look as initially, it looks like real live action with the depiction of city streets in the rain. But then, the title character comes to life-complete with eyes and a smile-and as the score starts playing, so do many of the city's inanimate objects also come to life. And then, this blue umbrella sees a red one and...well, watch the short if you want to know. In summary, The Blue Umbrella has a wonderful charming atmosphere that permeates throughout the brief running time and should leave a long enough smile on your face as you wait for the main feature to begin...