Animated Short Analysis - Luxo Jr



Animated Short Film Analysis

Pixar's Luxo Jr

By Jessica Tang 


    Released in 1986, Luxo Jr. is one of my favorite short films. While the story is simple, it birthed the creation of the bouncing lamp which would later earn its spot as the Pixar logo. Even after 30 years it still holds up. 


  1. Progression

    

    Luxo Jr tells the story of a parent lamp and his child bouncing a ball back and forth. The child eventually gets too excited and attempts to balance himself on top of the ball, causing it to deflate. Saddened by his loss, Luxo Jr. hops off screen, but later comes back with a beach ball. Luxo Sr. simply looks to the camera and shakes his head.  

    As these two lamps are inanimate objects, take into account their emotions through the use of effective body language.


    2. Conflict


  Luxo Senior vs. Luxo Junior.


    3. Characters


    While the short film is less than 3 minutes, the characters are vivid, expressive, and relatable. In spite of being lamps instead of people, they are able to tell their own story. There are moments between a parent and a child which make us feel something for these characters. 

    The dynamics makes it very appealing. Think of a father and son playing ball together.


    4. Surprise


The ending is nothing major, but it is still wholesome to watch. We think Luxo Jr. leaves to mourn the loss of his ball, yet he is quick to recover once he finds a replacement. 


    5. The Timing of Information


Luxo Jr. is very excited as he plays with the ball, then he jumps on top of it. This builds the suspense that the longer he's on the ball, the more we can tell the ball is crushed under the weight and pressure. This moment leads to the poor getting deflated. 


    6. Novelty


    Luxo Jr. tells the story of two inanimate objects while portraying them as an adult/parent and a child.


    7. Visual Flow


    Notice how it's only one room. The lamps are the only ones providing the light. This wholesome short film demonstrated the strengths of Pixar with its simple narrative, great animation, and visual storytelling. Literally and figuratively, this little lamp lit the way towards Pixar's future success.



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