History WesternAnimation / PixarShorts

A year after [=SparkShorts=] was created, [[Creator/{{Disney}} Walt Disney Animation Studios]] created a similar series of animated shorts called ''[=ShortCircuit=]'' [[note]] Full title ''Walt Disney Animation Studios: Short Circuit Experimental Films'' [[/note]] beginning in 2020. [=ShortCircuit=] is an independent series of animated shorts by animators, storyboard artists, and artists at Disney Animation Studios which tests out newer animation techniques for futue use [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon in their animated films.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfAndreAndWallyB'' (1984; dir. Alvy Ray Smith) -- A guy named Andre tries to trick an annoying bee, and gets stung for it. Credited to The Graphic's Group, Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}'s then-new computer graphics division (making its status as a Pixar film debatable), it's mainly a test to see if computer animation could follow [[TheTwelvePrinciplesOfAnimation animation principals like squash-and-stretch and motion blur]], and is therefore the first to use it at all. It is the second use of CGI in the history of animation after ''Manga/{{Golgo 13}}: The Professional''. Originally shown at the computer graphics conference at SIGGRAPH.

* RuleOfFunny: In the first short, "Mater the Greater", Mater revs up for a jump over a line of cars for a stunt in his flashback. He obviously gets enough momentum to fly incredibly far over them, being a stunting vehicle; however, due to [[ArtisticLicensce a questionable application of physics]], he instead stops during a moment of airtime and lands flatly on the first two cars so he can then walk across them all individually. This is solely done for the joke.

* ContinuitySnarl: ''Dug's Special Mission'' features Alpha talking in his high-pitched voice, in scenes set before the other dogs are surprised by it in the film.

* AnAesop:
** ''One Man Band'' ends with the moral that businesses trying too hard to outdo each other only turns away potential customers.
** ''Day And Night'' has an especially obvious message on how something being different isn’t bad, which Day and Night realize at the end when they come to appreciate each other.
** The main theme of ''Lava'' is to never give up hope.

* AnAesop:
** In "Burrow", the bunny learns that there's no shame in asking for help when you don't know how to do something.
** "Kitbull" is about how pitbulls are not bad dogs, and to never judge a dog (or any pet for that matter) by its cover.
** "Twenty Something" teaches that being an adult is never easy or perfect. [[YouAreNotAlone Everybody]] has a little immaturity in them and makes mistakes from time to time.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kitbull}}'' (2019; dir. Rosana Sullivan) -- A stray kitten and an abused pitbull form an unlikely friendship. Premiered on Website/YouTube shortly before Creator/DisneyPlus was launched. Pixar's first fully 2D short, animated in a "paperless" traditional style.

** However, it's revealed at the end of each short that Mater's story actually did happen, with only one of them being completely made up. [[spoiler: It's "Tokyo Mater.'']]

** However, it's revealed at the end of each short that Mater's story actually did happen, with only one of them being completely made up.

* UncannyValley: Purl’s semi-humanoid form she takes to fit with B.R.O. is rather unsettling. Given the theme of the short, this was probably intentional.

* YankTheDogAChain: For all of his work Burn-E does at reparing the ship, after he gets out of the ship and lands, the capsule fall over the antenee, making it break and fall. This made BURN-E fall in defeat after seeing all it's hard work break over again.

* ShoutOut: ''Time Travel Mater'' is an homage to ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', including a scene where Mater fears Lizzie might fall for Lightning and alter the time stream.

* WholePlotReference: The entirety of "Time Travel Mater" is this to ''Film/BackToTheFuture''. Mater gets hit on the head while trying to set up a clock and becomes a time-travelling car,[[note]]Doc Brown came up with the idea for the Flux Capacitor after an accident involving hitting his head while he was trying to hang a clock up[[/note]] where sneezing causes him to time travel. He ends up meeting Radiator Spring's founder Stanley and after kindly refusing a radiator cap sale, causes him to take his business elsewhere and accidentally {{Retgone}}s the entire town in the present since he had no reason to found it. With help from Lightning [=McQueen=], Mater convinces Stanley to stay and found a town named after the radiator-shaped water spring he was drinking from. Fast-forward some time later to when Stanley met Lizzie, only for Mater to think that she's falling for [=McQueen=], dooming the town's existence yet again.[[note]]Marty inadvertently caused his teenage mother to have a crush on him rather than his future father.[[/note]] Thankfully, she's interested in Stanley and history runs its course.

*** ''Heavy Metal Mater'' -- During a night of karaoke at Flo's, Mater recounts how he used to be a big rock star in a heavy metal band.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Boundin}}'' (2003; dir. Bud Lucky) -- In this musical Americana folktale, a [[FearsomeCrittersOfAmericanFolklore jackalope]] teaches a formerly cocky sheep to take pride in his appearance after his beloved wool is shorn off. Played before ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', in which Lucky, humorously enough, voices a main character. Notably Pixar's first short not to be a MimeAndMusicOnlyCartoon.

* Spin-offs from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''

* ''Party Central'' (2013) -- Spin-off from ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity''. When nobody shows up to Oozma Kappa's first house party, Mike and Sulley return with a plan to turn the house into "Party Central". Released theatrically with ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'' and the first Pixar short to be rated PG.

* ''WesternAnimation/MikesNewCar''

!!''Party Central''

* WackyFratboyHijinks: ''Party Central''.
* PortalNetwork: Mike and Sulley smuggle two doors from Monsters Inc. to bring the party at Roar Omega Roar to Oozma Kappa. The party goers go through a human couple's bedroom, who are occasionally woken by the noise.

* ''WesternAnimation/LampLife''

* ''Up'':
** ''WesternAnimation/CarlsDate''

* ''Mater and the Ghostlight'' (2006) -- Spin-off from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}''. The sheriff of Radiator Springs scares Mater with a spooky story about "the ghostlight," but is the legend true or just a tall tale?

* ChekhovsGun: This was the impetus for the "Mater's Tall Tales" shorts, as a key aspect of ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars 2}}'' is Mater's [[UnreliableNarrator fanciful storytelling]]. Since this was a trait not shown in the first film, the Pixar staff feared that its sudden appearance would look like an AssPull. The "Tall Tales" shorts averts the problem by establishing this trait ahead of the movie.

* ''WesternAnimation/OneManBand'' (2006; dir. Mark Andrews & Andrew Jimenez) -- Two buskers engage in a petty feud over a child's donation. Played before ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}''.

* Spin-offs from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}''

*** ''Time Travel Mater'' -- Mater accidentally travels back in time to when Stanley first discovered the original Radiator Springs and with Lightning, ensures that history remains on course. Premiered at [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney California Adventure]] and features locations introduced in the Cars Land expansion of the park where Stanley set up the beginnings of the town as a rest stop for traveling cars.

** Not to mention the various characters from the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' follow-ups.

* MythologyGag: In ''The Radiator Springs 500 1/2'', Lightning [=McQueen=] and the Baja racers get lost in a dark forest and scared by the car corpses there, as a nod to the "Lost" deleted scene from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', in which Lightning gets in the same situation himself.

* HighPoweredCareerWoman: Deconstructed in ''Purl''. While Purl attempts to emulate this trope to fit in, literally knitting herself into a power suit, she realizes she doesn't have to give up femininity to get ahead in her career, and that doing so hurts others like her.
* OneOfTheBoys: Purl becomes one in order to fit in at the office. Then undoes it to help other balls of yarn.

* EatingSolvesEverything: In Cookie Num Num, Helen diffuses the situation by eating the cookie.

* TallTale: The whole point of Mater's Tall Tales shorts.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: "Mater P.I."

* InnocentAliens: Mator, who strikes a friendship with Mater.

-->'''Mater''': Hey, look! I'm "motterfied!" (he starts making fake motor sounds while scraping the boxes on the body across the pavement, sending sparks flying into the air. [=McQueen=] [[FacePalm palms his windshield]] with one of his front wheels)

* ''WesternAnimation/Presto2008'' (dir. Doug Sweetland) -- In this homage to Creator/TexAvery, a magician's hungry rabbit hilariously torments its owner over a carrot. Played before ''WesternAnimation/WallE''.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Presto}}''