'The Blue Umbrella' Is a Mind Blower

My (delayed) review of Monsters University should be up tomorrow, but before I go on to that, let me briefly share my thoughts on the latest short film that the animation powerhouse known as Pixar has to offer.

The Blue Umbrella is pure delight. Despite having essentially the same basic storyline as Disney Animation's equally astounding Paperman, the way this short executes that story is really quite creative and original. And don't even get me started on the whole visual aspect of the short - it's just, yeesh, beyond words. With all the clever inventiveness you'd expect from a Pixar short, plenty of eye candy to gawk at, and an unbelievably catchy soundtrack, The Blue Umbrella is another charming addition to the studio's flawless library of short films. I look forward to the day when director Saschka Unseld helms his own feature-length film at the studio.

Jon Brion To Score 'The Blue Umbrella'

After sitting down to chat with director Saschka Unseld, Indiewire has confirmed that composer Jon Brion, who recently did the music for last year's ParaNorman, will be scoring Pixar's latest short film, The Blue Umbrella.

I'm quite looking forward to seeing what Brion has to offer, and that tiny bit of score we got in the 30-second clip released a few weeks ago sounded really promising.

On why they selected Jon Brion to score the short, Saschka Unseld said:

“He has this ability in creating these really catchy short melodies that stay with you. And that was something that we really needed for the short.”

The Blue Umbrella looks all set to become a huge critically-acclaimed hit. Speaking of critically-acclaimed shorts, Walt Disney Animation Studios uploaded onto YouTube yesterday their brilliant 2012 short film Paperman, which played in theaters back in November with the studio's equally amazing feature film Wreck-It Ralph. If you haven't already seen Paperman, you don't know what you're missing. Disney have proven with both this and Ralph that they are capable of creating masterpieces like those of Pixar. Watch and you will not be disappointed. Kudos to director John Kahrs and the entire crew at Disney Animation - Walt would be proud.

'The Blue Umbrella' Logo Revealed

The German Pixarblog has our first look at the logo for the upcoming Pixar short film, The Blue Umbrella, directed by Saschka Unseld. Over the years Pixar has developed the habit creating things that are simplistic yet elegant, much like this logo.

If you missed the official reveal of the short earlier this month, you can read more and watch a clip here.

The Blue Umbrella arrives in theaters this summer with Monsters University!

Pixar Unveils New Short "The Blue Umbrella"

With every new year comes not only a brand new feature film from Pixar, but also a magnificent little short which seems to always break new ground. Each of the studio's shorts is usually only around five minutes long, and yet they have such a powerful impact on those who see them, and each one is even more breathtaking than the last. This year Pixar presents a short film unlike any other they've ever done; The Blue Umbrella.

Have a look at a brief yet incredibly appetite-wetting 30-second clip of the short below:

Not even a full minute of footage and already this looks set to be one of the most astounding shorts Pixar has ever set out to make. YouTube commenters are saying things such as "30 seconds and already a better love story than Twilight" (and I quite agree).

The Blue Umbrella is six minutes long, directed by Pixar technical artist Saschka Unseld and tells the story of a lonely little blue umbrella falling for a red one in a world where inanimate objects come alive (and we all know how much Pixar loves bringing the inanimate to life). The short marks the first time that the studio attempts to create something that looks absolutely photorealistic, which you probably noticed when watching the short clip above. The crew had to overcome several challenges in order to nail the look, and who knows, now that they seem to have mastered how to do so we may see a full-length feature Pixar film done like this in the future.

I can't express how excited I am to see this, it looks like Pixar's most unique, spectacular short film to date - but I probably say that for every new short from the studio.

Read more over at The Wall Street Journal, and be sure to follow the short's director on Twitter, as well as the official viral marketing account for the short. Catch The Blue Umbrella in theaters this summer in front of Monsters University!