Burrow

2020's 'Burrow' is something of a different short for Pixar. The most obvious difference being the animation style, in a rare foray into traditional, hand drawn animation for them. The other obvious difference is that it was not released the way it was originally intended to be, which was meant to be that it would have shown as the short film before 'Soul' but the terrible circumstances meant that both were made available to watch on Disney Plus.

Being a big Pixar fan, short and feature films, there was no chance of not seeing 'Burrow'. Especially considering that watching Disney and Pixar regularly recently has been helping me significantly. Despite seeing it on Disney Plus and not at the cinema, the experience was treated the way it would have been if seen in normal circumstances, so seeing it before and accompanying 'Soul'. To me, 'Burrow' was very, very charming and there is a lot more to it than it sounds on paper (being initially worried before watching that it would be too cutesy). While not on the same level as 'Knick Knack', 'Geri's Game', 'For the Birds', 'One Man Band', 'Presto' and 'Piper' (like to love all the Pixar short films though), it was still a lovely watch.

'Burrow' is very beautifully animated for one thing. It shines especially in the storybook picture-like backgrounds and the very nuanced, wonderfully varied and expressive facial expressions and general character animation for the lead character. The music consists of music by Mozart, the most prominent being the Oboe Concerto with snippets of The Magic Flute overture. Was intrigued at how and whether they would fit or whether they would be too at odds, it harmonises with the visuals and the story's tone beautifully.

The lead character is endearing and acted very identifyingly in a difficult and relatable situation. 'Burrow' may be wordless (the case with most Pixar short films) but all the better for it, the story was a simple one and was the kind where it would have not worked as well with words. The emotion of the story resonates volumes. The story is very charming, in a way that isn't too cute, and the tone change when the conflict kicks in when things go wrong is adeptly handled and didn't feel disjointed.

Really liked the "always ask for help if in trouble" message, which did connect personally with me. Being somebody with daily struggles and finds it difficult at times asking for help or not wanting it in fear of being judged or wanting to prove myself, the case with the lead character here. It is also a good lesson to teach children, and that isn't done too heavy-handedly.

Maybe there are funnier and more touching Pixar short films and it is very slight.

Overall however, this is a winner. 9/10