The only complaint I have with the text is that the editorial is almost too measured, too academic. Amidi is at his best when he�s allowed to cut loose on a subject. His exceptional Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950�s Animation (Chronicle Books, 2006) benefits greatly from a slightly more trenchant approach. His sadly short-lived Animation Blast magazine was the one place you could be guaranteed a P.R.-free look at animation past and present. Co-editor of the website Cartoon Brew, Amidi has come under fire for occasionally stepping so far off the field of polite editorializing as to be in the farthest reaches of the parking lot, ankle deep in litter. Still, his less polite approach to animation history is a great relief from the hagiology embraced by most of his contemporaries and nearly all of his online critics �many of whom stay anonymous for fear of being exposed as far more opinionated and less informed (proving, once again, the pitfalls of publishing in a virtual community where pooled ignorance frequently has the final say.)

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The same admittedly picky criticism can be applied to the selection of the art. There isn�t anything here that isn�t ready to be offered as a giclee on canvas. Stunning as the illustrations are, it�s a little bit sad when a tiny spot illustration of Luxo�s Jr. and Senior - a marker sketch by John Lasseter on page 19 - says so much more than the skimpy four-count-em-four pages of Luxo art that come later. I have to suspect that an 8 x 10 enlargement of a simple red magic marker �doodle� just wasn�t pretty enough for the editors, or colorful enough to justify the $40 retail price; too bad, particularly when one considers that at least part of the purpose of the book is to celebrate simplicity.

That said, there are some extraordinary examples of the Mensa level mastery of character that has remained the hallmark of Pixar�s short films. Every single page of Ralph Eggleston�s work on For the Birds is a lesson in clever and appealing design. And no animator should be let within fifty feet of a rig until they�ve poured over Jan Pinkava�s pencil studies for the title character from Geri�s Game.

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From a purely academic standpoint, it makes sense to include the shorts that were born from the Pixar features � Mike�s New Car, Jack-Jack Attack, and Mater and the Ghostlight � and Joe Ranft�s story roughs and Bill Cone�s color script pastels are enough to keep an animation junky busy over a long cup of coffee. But it�s a clunky ending to an smooth ride down memory lane. If only the little cartoon that outshined Wall*E, the delicious and wildly funny Presto, had been the curtain ringer here. If, in the 21st Century, a book on a feature that hits theatres next month can be littered with development art, surely a film that came out nine months ago can be included here. *sigh* Next edition.

Ah well, for all my needling and nit-picking, The Art of Pixar Short Films is a nice valentine to the very best of Pixar. Have your sweetheart spend a little less on candy and flowers and spend it two weeks later when the book ships, or add this to your �wish list� for Spring reads; and remember, a little bit can go a long way.

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-- Posted February 12, 2009