Pixar's second Oscar winning short, GERI'S GAME, was the first film made after the success of TOY STORY. Though the film was a research and development tool to test CG humans and cloth simulation, none of the experimenting hurts the ability of the filmmakers to tell their story. Directed and written by Jan Pinkava, it's Pixar's masterpiece in the short form.
Geri is an old codger who sets out to play a game of chess in the park one day. His opponent is himself. The first Geri is a slower, spectacles-wearing fellow with a gentler personality. The second Geri is sprier and likes to taunt the other Geri as he makes one successful move after another. But what the second Geri doesn't know is that the first Geri is wiser than he seems.
The character animation is first rate. The dueling Geri's is a funny idea and the emotion the filmmakers elicit is wonderful. Pinkava paces the film perfectly, allowing the premise to get established then letting character drive the way the story is seen of the screen. As for the technical advances, they feel like leaps forward instead of "not quite theres," which was a problem with some of the earlier Pixar shorts. Though they have gotten better at humans since this film, Geri doesn't seem dated because they allowed their design to not overstep the boundaries of what they were technically capable of pulling off. It's Pixar's first short that perfectly meshes technical expertise and storytelling mastery.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
