Knick Knack (1989)

Directed by: John Lasseter | 4 minutes | animation, short film

Even before Pixar changed the animation world forever with the making of the first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, this inventive studio already had several animated shorts under its belt, including ‘Knick Knack’. The subject of one of these, a simple bouncing twilight lamp, has now been incorporated into the logo introduction that appears before each film. The short film with the twilight lamps showed well that the studio can breathe life into even the most static objects and that a good concept is the most important thing for a film to be successful.

As wonderful as most Pixar films are, it is the creative ideas behind the films and the story structure that determine the ultimate strength. For example, ‘Cars’ may be a little slicker than ‘Monsters, Inc.’, but the latter film in its entirety is a lot more enjoyable due to the brilliant concept of the monster city that supplies its energy by collecting screams from children. ‘Cars’ can’t help but beat this, with its stale and predictable story about finding your roots.

Of course, an idea alone is not enough, and the execution must also be in order, but an inspired starting point is more than half the battle. This also appears to be the case in ‘Knick Knack’, the simply animated film about the snowman souvenir who tries in vain to get close to the partying summer souvenirs – especially the beautiful lady in bikini – at the other end of the scaffolding shelf.

The problem is that the eager snowman is trapped inside one of those water-filled snow globes that you can shake and watch the snow swirl around. So, while the pelican, the figure in the sombrero, and the willing woman merrily move their heads up and down to the beat of the music and feast, the snowman pulls open his entire bag of tricks just to get through his glass. break. This is the start of a series of antics reminiscent of the work of Chuck Jones. Like Wile E. Coyote in his constant pursuit of the Roadrunner, this snowman pulls off the most far-fetched or spectacular feats. For example, he comes up with the brilliant idea to use his carrot nose as a nail by placing it against the glass and ramming it furiously with a hammer. The super load of TNT (dynamite) should of course also not be missed, which he detonates with a mega bang, accompanied by raising his eyebrows at the viewer.

No matter how hard he tries, the glass remains intact, and to make matters worse, the snow globe falls off its shelf due to all the activity. What a drama! Yet it seems to be just as well when the male discovers an emergency exit in the orb. His new living environment also turns out to be a lot more pleasant than he had feared. Or not? The film ends with a tragic, but above all funny irony that harks back to the initial situation.

The video is (very) short but powerful. A nice idea, effectively executed. It’s not brilliant animation but this doesn’t matter. The atmosphere of the film is simply irresistible, with Bobby McFerrin’s great, catchy music playing at least as much of the ultimate entertainment value as the images themselves. Here, his groovy vocals are the perfect complement to this amusing Pixarstudio creation, ‘Knick Knack’.