Presto (2008)

Directed by

Doug Sweetland

Genre

comedy film, fantasy film, animated film, family film

Country

United States

Runtime

5 min

Rated

G

Rating

7.8 of 10 from 1,081 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A magician named Presto tries to perform his stage act, but his rabbit Alec refuses to cooperate until he gets his carrot. The short follows their escalating antics and gags as the rabbit's hunger turns the performance into a chaotic comedy.

fast-pacedplayfulslapstickwhimsicalhumorousnostalgiclightheartedzany

What happens

Presto is a 2008 American animated short film by Pixar, written and directed by veteran Pixar animator Doug Sweetland in his directorial debut. Its story was boarded by Ted Mathot, Valerie LaPointe, and Justin Wright. The short is about Presto, a magician who is trying to perform a show, but his rabbit, Alec, would not cooperate with him until he gets his carrot. It is a gag-filled homage to classic cartoons such as Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes, as well as the work of Tex Avery. The original idea for the short was a magician who incorporated a rabbit into his act who suffered from stage fright. This was considered to be too long and complicated, and the idea was reworked. To design the theater featured in Presto, the filmmakers visited several opera houses and theaters for set design ideas. Problems arose when trying to animate the theater's audience of 2,500 patrons; this was deemed too expensive, and was solved by showing the back of the audience. Presto premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 10, 2008, and was released in the United States on June 27, playing in theaters before WALL-E. It received positive reviews, with reviewers of WALL-E's home media release considering the short to be an enjoyable special feature (though it was not included with the subsequent Criterion 4K Blu-ray in 2022). The short film was nominated for an Annie Award and Academy Award. It was included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2008. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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