SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Approx. 5 min. (Color)
Originally accompanying WALL-E’s 2008 theatrical release, this dialogue-free Disney-Pixar animated short is directed by Doug Sweetland. Its producing team includes John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Jay Ward.
Set at an opulent, turn-of-the-century theater, a hungry white rabbit named Alec is desperate for an elusive carrot in a backstage dressing room. After his dinner break, immaculate magician Presto DiGiotagione (who suavely resembles actor William Powell) hurriedly retrieves his pair of secret magical hats before returning to the stage. He’s oblivious to Alec’s grumbling tummy.
Refusing to cooperate until he gets fed, Alec sabotages Presto’s act. A packed house observes Alec’s feud with an incensed Presto.
Note: This Oscar-nominated cartoon is included on the Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2 Blu-Ray/DVD.
REVIEW:
Disney-Pixar delivers a hysterical Looney Tunes-style cartoon that vividly blends slapstick humor with high-caliber animation, all into a cohesive, fast-paced package. Part of this short’s charm extends to Presto’s mysterious hats (one, a purple wizard’s cap and the other a classic black top hat), as the cartoon doesn’t divulge how/where Presto obtained them. Viewers are instead left with the wonders of what all these hats can actually do, as Alec exuberantly defies his smug boss.
Impressively, Presto doesn’t waste time, as its ingenious gags are meant to rapid-fire one after another. This short exudes the same kind of animated madcap magic (including some fun wordplay) that the old-school Looney Tunes typically have in abundance. For cartoon fans of all ages, Presto shouldn’t be missed.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 10 Stars
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