Remember The Little Cars, What’s Up? or Ratatoing, those bizarre Pixar knock-offs which got major attention for being so unintentionally hilarious?
Well here’s a change of pace. Instead of totally ripping an idea straight out of a Pixar trailer and butchering it to death, someone was out to literally mimic one of the studio’s final products. At least that’s what was recently attempted with Pixar’s 2008 theatrical short Presto.
But don’t get concerned too quickly! We don’t really know who produced this "remake" or for what purpose. All we know is that it was made in China and features the same soundtrack (complete with effects) as Presto. It could’ve just been a student assignment (which would be admirable in this case) and nothing in the vein of embarrassing "Pixaren’t" films, as Lee Unkrich put it.
I just find it very peculiar that this short is almost identical to Pixar’s Presto in regards to staging, design, and animation. It’s a big change from the familiar DVD releases we "magically" get right before certain blockbuster animated films are released. All in all, it lacks that signature Pixar touch and would almost certainly never be mistaken for the Lamp’s work. You can watch it now on YouTube.
What are your thoughts on this strange Presto clone?
(via SlashFilm)
Last modified: November 18, 2009
Ah the Chinese and their blatant disrespect for copyright law… All I can say is if this is a student project, he/she might want to consider a different career than animation…
I just wanted to comfirm that this is a project from a Chinese animation school, as discovered by some of the members of Cartoon Brew. The school website also includes a very surreal WALL-E takeoff that is too weird to describe in words.
Here is the website of the school, complete with multiple animation knockoffs
And Pixar is not the only target at this school. Kung-Fu Panda was also on their list
http://edu.hxsd.com/videos-10-32.html
Thanks for that link! Those shorts are better than Video Brinquedo. Yes, the WALL-E take-off gets a bit strange halfway through.
Is it a big no-no with animation students’ work for them to not infringe upon copyright or something? I guess it would look better on a showreel to have original characters…
@rachelcakes
I’m not sure about Pixar, but everything I’ve ever heard about Disney says that they don’t want to see Disney characters in your reel, if your hired they’ll teach you how to draw those characters if you need to, otherwise stick with your own stuff.
If DIsney and Pixar don’t mind, I guess it’s okay. Trying to replicate someone else’s work might be good practice for a student, but I certainly wouldn’t put it on a demo reel or worse, try to sell it. But if it’s just a school project, nobody’s really being hurt.