Identify - Pixar - Luxo Jr

I know this one is pretty obvious, but it is obvious for a reason! This is the first time I am watching this short again since I was 8 years old. I am back to analyse and discover why it’s so awesome. Luxo Jr, written by John Lasseter was one of the first fully animated computer graphic animation to be nominated for an Academy award. 

Here are a few reasons why I find this animated short particularly inspiring:

1) Parent/Child dynamic - This dynamic is established for a few key reasons the first being that Luxo Sr (the large lamp) is bigger in relation to Luxo Jr (the small lamp). The proportions of the two in relation to each other mimic that of human adult proportions when compared to that of children (Luxo Jr has a small body and a large head as an infant would.) 

Another element that suggests a Parent/Child dynamic is the individual movements of the characters; Luxo Sr moves slowly and with careful consideration while Luxo Jr moves recklessly and in a hyper and excited fashion. 

Lastly, the action: Luxo Jr skips in a starts playing with a rubber ball rolling it to Luxo Sr who gently rolls it back. Luxo Jr then proceeds to bounce on top of the ball until it pops and flops on the ground. After this, Luxo Jr scatters off screen and comes back with an even bigger ball. At this point, wise old Luxo Sr looks at the audience and shakes his head. These actions even further reinforce the roles that were presented in this film.

2) Audio - There are two aspects of Audio that I am taken by. The first, sound effects. The noises a lamp would make if it skipped around, shifted and rolled are so accurate that you could potentially listen with your eyes closed and deduce what you are hearing. Every screw is accounted for.

The second aspect is the Jazz music in the background. It is played softly enough to allow the characters to maintain the audience’s attention but it stays in the background creating a certain feeling of  control but also chaos. This is because the elements of modern Bebop are a cool and casual sound but with a lot of freedom and improvisation. I think these two elements can represent the characters of this short; Luxo Sr is the chill tone of the music while Luxo Jr is the wild and untamed rhythm.

Here is a quote from John Lasseter on Luxo Jr from computerhistory.org (referenced below):

The thing I wanted to do in Luxo Jr. was make the characters and story the most important thing, not the fact that it was done with computer graphics. As you see in the film show at SIGGRAPH, a lot of times it’s computer graphics for computer graphics nerds. People get excited about it purely because it was generated with a computer.

–John Lasseter

This is my biggest criticism of computer graphic Animations today; a lot of it seems like Animation simply for the sake of Animation. The stories are taking a back seat, bar the few gems that are produced each year. In Luxo Jr, we don’t necessarily look at it as a computer graphics Animation, instead we sympathise with the characters and identify with the story.

Computer History, Chris Garcia (2012) - Pixar’s Luxo Jr. (1986), [Online] Available at: http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/pixars-luxo-jr/. (Accessed 06/11/15).