Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

TxMike This is a Pixar animated film short, not quite 7 minutes long. It is contained as an "extra" on the DVD of the Pixar movie, "Monsters University." The animated setting is any large city, in the early evening, probably in winter as it is already dark and the crowds are off work and headed to their homes or other evening destinations. There are yellow taxicabs, street construction, and underground trains. It starts to rain.In a sea of black umbrellas we see a bright blue one, masculine with eyes and a smile. Soon it notices a bright red umbrella, feminine and also with eyes and a bit more glamour. They make eye contact, they are attracted to each other.As the sea of umbrellas movie, and the man carrying the blue umbrella enters an underground station, a gust of updraft strips the umbrella away, and it is carried aloft, some distance. With the help of gutters gushing water at the right time, or a street construction sign directing traffic away, the blue umbrella survives the traffic, barely. Then he is picked up, perhaps by his original owner, perhaps by someone else, it doesn't really matter. But as he is carried to a nearby café, he finds that the man is meeting a lady, the one with the red umbrella. The umbrellas are reunited.The only possible hint of location is the name of the café, "Parapluie", which sounds French. So maybe it was Paris. But maybe not, because "Parapluie" is simply the French word for "Umbrella."A clever and entertaining short film.

Stompgal_87 I saw this short at the cinema with my mum today before 'Monster's University' and while it's not as good as 'Knick Knack' and 'Day and Night,' it's better than 'Partly Cloudy' and has intelligent ideas.The plot is straightforward yet effective, which is helped by the realistic street, the simple yet cute facial expressions on the red and blue umbrellas and the humanistic features on the buildings, traffic lights, water spout and the manhole cover to name just a few - they made me laugh and reminded me of the Toyota Yaris Hybrid commercials where objects in the street come to life and the Zoopla adverts where the houses actually talk like human beings. I also liked how the first raindrops moved in time with the quirky yet harmonious music and the clever ending where the owners of the blue and red umbrellas are sitting outside a café called La Parapluie (French for umbrella). To conclude, this isn't Pixar's best short but it is still sweet, simple and amusing. 8/10.

tavm This is yet another Disney/Pixar computer-animated short shown before their main feature which in this case is Monsters University. This one has a different look as initially, it looks like real live action with the depiction of city streets in the rain. But then, the title character comes to life-complete with eyes and a smile-and as the score starts playing, so do many of the city's inanimate objects also come to life. And then, this blue umbrella sees a red one and...well, watch the short if you want to know. In summary, The Blue Umbrella has a wonderful charming atmosphere that permeates throughout the brief running time and should leave a long enough smile on your face as you wait for the main feature to begin...

Jessica White Pixar continues its tradition of airing entertaining shorts prior to its main feature with "The Blue Umbrella" prior to "Monsters University." From the short film's beginning, I immediately noticed that the scene didn't feel cartoony or animated at all. From the rain to the automobiles to the sidewalk and hoards of crowded pedestrians, the art style was one of almost unnerving realism. In short, the realism was unbelievably believable! And then you notice the slow introduction of music in the very sounds of the city coming alive during a sudden rainstorm. The grates gurgle, the pipes puff, the pedestrian meters flash. Simply beautiful is its mood and execution.The plot quickly becomes unveiled as an unknown man's blue umbrella catches sight (and is smitten with) an unknown woman's red umbrella amidst the multitude of black umbrellas. As the whole city's mechanical, architectural and functional denizens observe and participate in the love affair, the blue umbrella maneuvers his way to the one that could be his perfect mate for rain and life.Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the film's warming plot, breath-holding twists, realistic graphics, well-matched musical score and heartwarming ending.