Luxo Jr. (1986) User Reviews

Luxo Jr: Positively adorable

[Platypuschow · 8/10 · 27 January 2024]

Plot

A larger lamp watches while a smaller, younger lamp plays exuberantly with a ball but doesn't pick up the knack of correct handling.

Cast

Made by John Lasseter, the man behind Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Cars and countless other Pixar classics.

Verdict

I wasn't aware of Luxo Jr, but I'm very glad I watched this blink and you'll miss it short.

You see with zero spoilers I actually found myself saddened watching it as it touches upon a certain Toy Story-esque trope that turns me into a blubbering mess but thankfully it almost immediately lands on it's feet and it's positively adorable.

Considering it's so short it's hard not to consider this essential viewing for any Pixar fan.

Rants

I did have a rant but the site didn't like it and I got declined, so you don't get one in this review. Rasp.

Breakdown

Impressive visuals for 1986 Adorable on every level Gave me a momentary sad face.

Good Start

[kamerad · 8/10 · 2 July 2002]

I find it amazing that a film which is a minute and a half long, with one fixed camera position, can have such a strong story and characters. And these characters don't even talk! It's all about the animation. I can almost see the delight on Luxo Junior's face (although he doesn't have a face) as he leaps after that giant ball at the end of the film. Likewise, I love Luxo Senior's surprised double take as he sees the ball come bouncing towards him, and then his exasperated head shake as his son passes him by. It was a good idea for Lasseter to start out with mechanical objects. He could start slow and work his way to working more with facial expression.

A straightforward yet charming early Pixar short

[Stompgal_87 · 8/10 · 4 October 2013]

I first saw this short two years ago when I visited an animation exhibition at the Barbican with a friend and I was impressed with its graphics for its era.

The short basically shows Luxo the lamp (that later became an icon of the Pixar logo) watching Luxo Jr playing with a ball. During this time, I like the jolly piano music and the anthropomorphic movements and expressions on the characters, even though the background is dark but there's a good reason for this so that the lamps can effectively illuminate it. I sympathised for Luxo Jr when the ball deflates but it isn't long until Luxo Jr finds a bigger beach ball to bounce around the room, much to Luxo's disbelief. Not only did Luxo become a famous icon of the Pixar logo but also the first ball makes subsequent appearances in further feature length Pixar films.

Overall this is a sweet and impressive earlier effort from Pixar. 8/10.

Impressive for its time (and now!) with good animation that is used well to bring out character and not just be an effect

[bob the moo · 9 September 2004]

A standard desk lamp watches a small ball roll across the table beside him, closely followed by a small desk lamp chasing it and pushing it all over the place – much to the bemusement of the elder lamp. With such youthful enthusiasm, will even the puncturing of the ball be enough to calm him down?

On the Toy Story 2 DVD, this short appears as part of their policy of providing shorts on their dvds. It is doesn't compare to the main film in terms of animation or humour but it is still impressive – even more so when you remember that this was made in 1986. Content wise it is not hilarious but it is amusing and you can see the same style and sense of humour that still carries on today in Pixar films generally.

The animation is very good and, although lacking the flow and detail of modern films, it is hard not to be impressed when you think back to the poor effects that we were getting in mainstream films back them – hell, the work in this short from 18 years ago is as good if not better than I've had to suffer in some recent films! The simple characters are well drawn but animated in a manner that gives them character and makes it easy to be involved and amused by the film – they look like lamps but their movement is where the characters lie.

Overall an amusing little short that is made more interesting when viewed along side Pixar's recent films and used to se where the style and humour have developed from. Also a quality enough little film to be worth seeing on its own.

The Pixar Mascot's first debut!

[emasterslake · 7/10 · 15 April 2005]

This is Pixar's first official short film. The first one done when Pixar became an official company. This short shows why their mascot is a Lamp. It has some good visuals to it as well. Since it has to do with Lamp it has some good light effects to them.

You a get a few laughs out of it. And it's only about 2 minutes long, like Adventures of Andre and Wally B were. Has some better improvements than Andre and Wally B.

Made in 1986, Pixar still had a long way till they get their fame and glory.

you're able to find it on the Toy Story 2 DVD or Pixars website.

I give it 7.5/10

Comments on Jr.

[dannykparker · 10/10 · 15 March 2000]

This animation is one of the most beautiful pieces of cinema I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. It's a wonderfully comic short film that make your heart melt. How on earth can an animation bring a lamp to life enough for people to feel for it? An amazing piece of film that should be enjoyed by everyone

Of bulbs and balls

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 6 September 2013]

It certainly takes something special to make us interested in a young lamp and his parent playing ball, even if it's only for two minutes. And they don't even need faces if their actions are written so well. John Lasseter managed to do so and the sound effects help a lot too. It's Pixar in its baby shoes, but you can already see the talent and creativity, especially concerning the characters' emotions that brought us so many more interesting short and feature films from the company.

The sympathy when the air gets out and the baby lamp can no longer play with his little companion. The joy the viewer feels when the little lamp finds a solution to his misery. The final reaction from the parent lamp. It's all tremendously thought through and will put a smile on your lips too. Quite recommendable not only to animation enthusiasts and I hope at some point we will finally get a full feature starring Luxo Jr.

Definitely one of Pixar's greatest short animated films.

[Anonymous_Maxine · 10/10 · 6 April 2002]

Because I am so loathe to put one over the other, I just want to say that Geri's Game, For The Birds, and Luxo Jr. are the three greatest short animated films that have come from Pixar so far. What you have here is an extremely well made film that creates live characters without the use of dialogue or facial expressions or even bodies, and all this tremendously realistic animation was done in the 80s, before computers themselves had had much of an impact on the movies, especially as compared to today!

Luxo Jr. is an absolutely ingenius creation of animation, Pixar managed to come straight out and begin their career with a flawless animation film. There is, however, also the notable exception of any humans in the film, which should be mentioned here because that is the thing that Pixar's films have had the greatest difficulty with. The baby in Tin Toy was absolutely monstrous and hideous, and even in the full length Toy Story, the human faces were never made to look quite right. The emphasis, however, was placed on the toys in the film, which was one of the many reasons that it was such a great film.

In Luxo Jr., Pixar seems to be making a simple statement about what they can do with computer animation, and they have been tremendously successful. This film is absolutely flawless as far as characterization, simplicity, amusement, and, probably most of all, the amazingly realistic sound effects that served to help bring the hopping lamps to life. This is some of the simplest stuff that can be brought to the screen and still have meaning (simple, that is, as far as content, not creation), but Pixar has managed to make this three minute film a truly memorable cinematic experience.

Lamplighting.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 6/10 · 30 March 2020]

'Luxo Jr. (1986)' is the Pixar short that gave the studio its now world-renowned logo. It's about a lamp and its son who likes to play with a ball. They're probably personified lamps because hard-surface CG is easier to make look appealing and requires less rigging prowess; the short is from the baby years of 3D animation, after all. The piece looks surprisingly good for its age, with dynamic lighting and crisp rendering. Its physics are relatively realistic and it has a good amount of stylisation, too. There isn't much to it; it's more of a proof of concept, in a way. Its punchline isn't great, either. Still, it's a decent short and it's always entertaining enough. 6/10

A Milestone For Computer Animation

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 15 April 2001]

An indulgent & bemused parent - who just happens to be a desk lamp - watches its child, LUXO JR., romp with a plastic ball.

This tiny film, produced in 1986, showed the computer animation world what results were possible, even on a small scale, when imagination is unloosed at the keyboard. The personality given to the two character objects is remarkable, especially considering the extremely short running time.

Little Luxo would go on to become the corporate symbol for Pixar, who are ranked near the top of the tree in their field of expertise.

Two lamps

[injury-65447 · 6/10 · 21 May 2020]

I can appreciate this as a groundbreaking work of CGI but that's all it is. These days the "heart" of the animation feels a bit lacking. In 1986 I guess people were wowed that you could make inanimate objects have emotions and feelings but now we're all used to it from Pixar so... there are better examples to see out there like the Toy Story films of course. This piece is historically significant but inessential viewing from an artistic standpoint.

The film that made Pixar.

[ofpsmith · 9/10 · 16 November 2014]

If you know anything about Pixar, you know about the Luxo lamp. It's practically their trademark. Pixar's second short film is made of two office lamps, a large one and a small one. The small lamp is playing with a ball and then inadvertently pops it when it jumps on it. The big one inspects the wreckage and then finds the small lamp playing with a beach ball. This was the first film Pixar made under the Pixar name. Their first short, The Adventures of Andre and Wally B was under Lucasfilm. This also has to be one of my favorite Pixar shorts. It's a simple story but it manages to keep you entertained for the short amount of time that it is. I recommend it if you're interested in the hearth of the famous lamp and ball.

This Is Hardly 'Innovative'

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 28 June 2007]

Luxo Jr. is a wonderful example of why people still prefer cartoons from 50 and 60 years ago to today's material. The problem is simple: these new cartoons, such as Pixar ones, aren't funny! Oh, they may be clever as anything, but funny? Not really, so it misses the mark because 98 percent of the human population watches a cartoon to get some laughs.

To describe this two-minute animated short as "ingenious" and/or "innovative" is a lot more laughable than the cartoon itself. All it was, was Pixar lamp watching his little child lamp play with a rubber ball for a minute We see a lamp hit the ball and then hop along and then jump on it.

Wow. I have news for those who thought this was "ingenious." Drawing Inanimate objects coming to life is as old as cartoons itself, so what's "innovative" about this?

You want innovation? Watch Felix The Cat silent cartoon from the early 1920s - 85 years ago. That was innovative, as were tons of Looney Tunes and Pink Panther cartoons....plus we laughed a lot more, This "cartoon" is nothing.

A cute short film.

[cmyklefty · 5 January 2002]

Two lamps one big and one small. The small one plays with a ball while the other lamp look at it playing. Pixar uses this partial lamp style for their company logo. This is the short film that started it all for Pixar. A nice companion piece to Toy Story 2.

Luxo Jr. delightfully grants personalities to a couple of desk lamps.

[TheMovieDiorama · 6/10 · 10 August 2018]

In what is a substantial step up from the studio's first venture into animation, this short film iconised Pixar's mascot. A mischievous playful desk lamp named Luxo Jr. as it skittishly manoeuvres a ball. Lasseter managed to anthropomorphise an appliance in the most basic way. No external human characteristics required, just an impish personality that conveyed an emotional response. Quite impressive when you think about it, given the minuscule runtime. Sure the "plot" is basic and its memorability is questionable. But there is no doubt that this is an achievement in animation, being the first procedural animated film. The addition of cutesy sound effects certainly enhanced the experience, but the whole animation lacks that sense of transcendence. Clearly acting as a stepping stone to the high-quality charm that Pixar are renowned for, but never pushing itself to break boundaries. Competent contemporariness with plenty of heart and tenderness, yet feels nothing more than just an experiment as opposed to a complete animated short.

Groundbreaking and unfairly snubbed by the Oscars

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 11 February 2008]

The plot is simple. It's about a little table lamp and its limited adventures--playing with a ball, hopping about, etc. None of it seems that amazing yet the film is still captivating and clever.

By today's standards, LUXO JR. Is just an okay computer generated animated short. However, back in 1986, it was Earth-shaking, as no one had ever realized that computers could generate such beautiful graphics and breath life into, of all things, a desk lamp! When the film was released, computer geeks marveled at its complexity and it spurred on the CGI revolution we are in the midst of now. In light of this, it is amazing to me that this film was only nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film--losing to a mediocre film (A Greek TRAGEDY). I assume that those on the committee simply didn't know what to think of LUXO JR.--as the graphics and style was so revolutionary.

A surprisingly timeless little charmer

[soymilk · 9/10 · 28 May 2004]

I really like the short film 'Luxo Jr', even though, with retrospect, there isn't exactly a great deal to it. Just a couple of desk lamps playing with a ball - wow. No, but seriously - wow! Could you really believe that this was Pixar's first real venture into the 3D animation department? The mighty empire that now boasts such well-known and beloved biggies as 'Monsters Inc' and 'Finding Nemo' once started life with something as humble and basic as 'Luxo Jr', a short which, nearly 20 years onward, remains something that the company can be proud of. One of the most delightful things about 'Luxo Jr' would be that it really hasn't dated in the least - the computer generated imagery still seems very fresh, crisp and smoothly on target even today. Added to which, the couplet of lamps themselves, in spite of their physical forms, have an unexpectedly winning appeal to them, each brought to life with such vividness that it's remarkable just how much charm and character can be applied to a pair of every day inanimate objects. Obviously they don't display quite the same kind of heartfelt emotion as later Pixar creations like Buzz Lightyear and Woody, but considering that they don't even have a face, you have to admit that they still manage to be remarkably expressive. We don't need anything in the way of dialogue or facial expressions to understand exactly what's going through the mind of either lamp at any point in the film - the production team make great use of whatever features they have to convey the appropriate 'bodily gestures'. It's a particularly nice touch that the bigger lamp in this piece acts like a parental figure to the smaller.

It's as simple as a 3D animated short can possibly be, but for that much I'm glad - if they'd attempted anything too elaborate at this point, it would probably be looking a little more aged by now, as with John Lassester's previous (Lucas Films) short, 'the Adventures of Andre and Wally B'. 'Luxo Jr' is perfectly contented with its simplicity, and knows that its two central characters have enough of that cute and quirky appeal to carry the entire two minutes on their own. It's an original idea that works wonders, and even with all the competition it now faces from successive Pixar projects and their GCI rivals, it still remains an all-time favourite of mine.

And little Luxo Jr definitely deserves his place on the Pixar title logo at that.

Grade: A

Very innovative (and cute) CGI short

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 21 March 2002]

This is a very impressive example computer animation. It is also an extremely cute cartoon (bordering on precious at times) and was nominated for the Academy Award. Fairly early effort by Pixar and quite good even some 15 years later. Well worth searching for. I believe it's included in front of one of the Pixar features on the VHS and DVD releases. Most recommended.

Undoubtedly the best computer animation ever created.

[Stubacca · 10/10 · 2 October 1999]

The first time I saw this animation I was young and laughed and found it funny and filed it away as another cool animation. However, the second time, and the third time, and the fourth, fifth and sixth and seventh etc, times that I saw this animation was as an adult and a computer animator, and only now do I fully comprehend the genius involved in it's creation.

The first amazing thing about it was that it was done in 1986 when computer animation was in its infancy, and yet it still stands up to and surpasses all of the current great computer animations even with todays far superior technology and far more experienced computer animators.

However, the most amazing thing, and where the genius of John Lasseter lies, is in the fact that without dialogue, without any facial expressions, without voices, and without music he has somehow managed to create totally alive and believable characters. After watching this animation there is no doubt in the audiences minds that one lamp is a caring mother and the other is a curious child. The entire character generation is done purely through the movements of the lamps and the sounds of the squeaks and thumps the make as they move and bounce.

Anyone with any interest in becoming an animator of any type really should see this animation to see how it should be done, and everyone else should make it effort to see it as well just because it really is brilliant.

10 out of 10.

It deserves to watch this famous lamp story for Pixar fans.

[MK_Movie_Reviews · 3/10 · 23 August 2021]

I didn't know that lamp of Pixar was existing since 1986.

Has the heart, warmth and (almost) humor of Pixar (Short Film)

[patrick_dunne · 8 February 2006]

"Luxo Jr." is Pixar's first short film, and shows why a lamp is used for Pixar's logo.

Like all the Pixar short films, "Luxo Jr." has no dialog, but music and funny sounds instead. The story is about a lamp named Luxo who is playing with a ball. Then, Luxo Jr. comes by and joins him.

Like many of the Pixar shorts, it is merely a cute experiment with animation, music, sounds and humor. This one succeeds in those departments.

I'm not sure if it's stop-motion animation or computer-animation, but the animation in "Luxo Jr." looks fairly impressive. The moments are also what gives the characters life and personalities.

The sounds are impressive as well. Each time the lamps do so much as turn, you hear a sound. You can also hear the "ding-a-ling-a-ling" sound that Luxo makes before every Pixar film.

The humor isn't quite hilarious, but I managed to chuckle twice during the film. The ending was funny.

Not so bad for a start.

Feel free to send me a Private Message regarding this comment.

The one that started it all...

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 11 February 2012]

I am a big fan of Pixar, finding their films and short films wonderfully animated, very entertaining with many touching moments and endearing characters. Luxo Jnr is the one that started it all off. Is it their very best Pixar short film? Not quite for me, I am more partial to Presto and Geri's Game. And I do prefer the feature film it is shown with Toy Story 2. However, for its time, and now even it is historically important for its influence not just to Pixar but also computer animation. The animation is vibrant and beautiful and done with character, nothing dated about it at all. I was especially taken with how much detail there was in the character designs. Luxo Jnr is not laugh out loud hilarious like Presto but it is still amusing, and it manages to warm the heart and charm the viewer even in such a short duration time. Luxo is one of Pixar's most endearing titular characters, the others being Geri and WALL-E. All in all, a great start for Pixar, perhaps they may have done better things since, but Luxo Jnr is not one to forget. 9/10 Bethany Cox

One of the finest shorts ever (got Pixar's ball rolling)

[Theflyace · 10/10 · 12 September 2013]

This is the film that sent Pixar's ball rolling. After becoming their own company in 1986, the creative team at Pixar decided to create a short film that said who they were and what they would do. Director/Animator John Lasseter decided on the simplest approach, two Luxo lamps playing with a ball.

More specifically, it is a daddy lamp and a baby lamp (aptly named Luxo Jr.) playing with a ball on a wooden desktop. Jr. accidentally jumps on top of it and the ball deflates, much to his sadness. But the short has indeed a happy ending, he finds a BIGGER ball to play with, leaving his father to shake his bulb left to right.

One rule in Hollywood is "less is more," and nowhere is that more true than here in Luxo Jr. Lasseter and his team take something from everyday life and give us a new perspective on what inanimate objects are thinking, even without expressions or facial features. Just like the short released last year, Paperman (in my profile) the animation, story, and execution are top notch.

One word for Luxo Jr. is perfection. This set the standard, which would lead to over 20 years of great work from Pixar Animation Studios.

Funny, very funny

[Nick-134 · 10/10 · 30 November 1999]

I saw this at the beginning of Toy Story 2 (which in-and-of itself is fabulous!) and, this is truly the cap of the soda to start off the movie. Very cute, very funny, lovely piece of animation, even for 1986. Lovely, truly lovely.

Transcends computer animation.

[StudentDriver · 8/10 · 6 November 1999]

At the time of Luxo Jr., there was a lot of experimentation going on using computer animation- most of the resulting shorts seemed to be concerned with showing off the new zooming/tracking/etc technologies. (Who, interested in early computer animation, hasn't seen a plethora of shorts that involve zooming around a bunch of dolphins?)

Unlike other contemporary shorts, Pixar shorts attempted to tell a story rather than concentrate on life-like movements of animals (like the aforementioned dolphins or ostriches.) Because of the limitations of computer animation, Pixar chose to animate typically inanimate things; toys and figurines. With the aforementioned limitations, this provided Pixar with the background needed. Toys/other inanimate objects infused with life, attempting to interact with a living world.

Luxo, Jr. concerns a big (mother?) lamp learning to deal with a baby lamp, who is itself unaware of its limitations in this world. The short itself doesn't even last 60 seconds, but it creates understanding within the viewing audience for the large lamp, and an understanding that the small lamp is a child. This is an amazing feat for any cartoon, let alone one that was considered an experimental technology at the time of its release.

Pixar has release shorts since then, as well as full-length movies ("Toy Story" and "A Bug's Life"); it is still an amazing thing, though, to study Luxo, Jr., and the results thereof.