Red's Dream
Encyclopedia
Red's Dream is a short film
produced by Pixar Animation Studios
and directed by John Lasseter
, which was released in 1987. To date, this is the only short that has not been attached to one of Pixar's feature films in some form, the only Pixar short to be rendered on the Pixar Image Computer
, and the first Pixar Short to feature an organic character: the circus clown known as Lumpy.
and the rendering software Chapreyes. Lasseter began to develop the story of a circus clown who is upstaged by his own unicycle while at the same time, animators William Reeves
and Eben Ostby starting working on their own separate ideas. Ostby had wanted to animate a bicycle
, and Reeves began working on a city during a rainy night. Ultimately, the three combined their ideas, which resulted in the creation of Red's Dream.
who languishes in the "clearance corner", waiting to be purchased. As the camera zooms on him, the sound of rain falling turns into a drumroll, and we go into the dream-sequence. In his dream, Red is being ridden by a circus clown
(which was nicknamed 'Lumpy' due to his appearance) as part of a juggling act. The clown enters the ring, accompanied by a fanfare
, expecting a huge applause, but instead receives only a few scattered claps from different parts of the (unseen) audience. Nevertheless, Lumpy starts juggling
three balls whilst riding Red, occasionally dropping them as he does. However, Red slides out from underneath Lumpy (while the clown stays afloat) and spikes the balls back to him with his bike pedals. The confused clown ponders this for only a second before continuing on with his act. At this point, Red is forced to catch another ball which Lumpy unintentionally throws across the ring. Lumpy continues to ride in the air while juggling the other two balls while Red bounces the green ball up and down. Eventually Lumpy comes to a sudden realization, and looks between his legs, only to discover he's been riding on nothing before he falls to the ground (and seemingly disappears from the dream). Red catches the other two balls and begins juggling all three of them, and then balances them on top of each other, after which he receives an uproarous applause. But then the sound of clapping turns into the sound of rain, and Red awakens, left to face bleak reality. Depressed, he returns to the corner where he was previously resting, and goes back to sleep. The short ends with the final image of the neon sign for "Eben's Bikes".
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
produced by Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
and directed by John Lasseter
John Lasseter
John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....
, which was released in 1987. To date, this is the only short that has not been attached to one of Pixar's feature films in some form, the only Pixar short to be rendered on the Pixar Image Computer
Pixar Image Computer
The Pixar Image Computer was a graphics designing computer originally developed by the Computer Division of Lucasfilm, later renamed Pixar after being purchased by Steve Jobs on February 3, 1986. The name Pixar, which was coined by Alvy Ray Smith, Loren Carpenter and Rodney Stock, is a made-up...
, and the first Pixar Short to feature an organic character: the circus clown known as Lumpy.
Development
According to Lasseter in the short's audio commentary, Ed Catmull wanted the Pixar staff to make a film using the Pixar Image ComputerPixar Image Computer
The Pixar Image Computer was a graphics designing computer originally developed by the Computer Division of Lucasfilm, later renamed Pixar after being purchased by Steve Jobs on February 3, 1986. The name Pixar, which was coined by Alvy Ray Smith, Loren Carpenter and Rodney Stock, is a made-up...
and the rendering software Chapreyes. Lasseter began to develop the story of a circus clown who is upstaged by his own unicycle while at the same time, animators William Reeves
William Reeves
William "Bill" Reeves is a pioneer in the field of computer graphics. He was the technical director who worked with John Lasseter on the animation breakthrough shorts: Luxo Jr and The Adventures of André and Wally B.....
and Eben Ostby starting working on their own separate ideas. Ostby had wanted to animate a bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
, and Reeves began working on a city during a rainy night. Ultimately, the three combined their ideas, which resulted in the creation of Red's Dream.
Plot
Set in a lonely city on a rainy night, the film takes place in a bicycle shop (named "Eben's Bikes" for Pixar animator Eben Ostby) that is closed for the night. In the corner of the shop sleeps Red, a red unicycleUnicycle
A unicycle is a human-powered, single-track vehicle with one wheel. Unicycles resemble bicycles, but are less complex.-History:One theory of the advent of the unicycle stems from the popularity of the penny-farthing during the late 19th century...
who languishes in the "clearance corner", waiting to be purchased. As the camera zooms on him, the sound of rain falling turns into a drumroll, and we go into the dream-sequence. In his dream, Red is being ridden by a circus clown
Circus clown
Clowns have always been an integral part of the circus, offering a source of amusement for patrons and providing relief from the array of animal acts and performances by acrobats and novelty artistes....
(which was nicknamed 'Lumpy' due to his appearance) as part of a juggling act. The clown enters the ring, accompanied by a fanfare
Fanfare
A Fanfare is a relatively short piece of music that is typically played by trumpets and other brass instruments often accompanied by percussion...
, expecting a huge applause, but instead receives only a few scattered claps from different parts of the (unseen) audience. Nevertheless, Lumpy starts juggling
Juggling
Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
three balls whilst riding Red, occasionally dropping them as he does. However, Red slides out from underneath Lumpy (while the clown stays afloat) and spikes the balls back to him with his bike pedals. The confused clown ponders this for only a second before continuing on with his act. At this point, Red is forced to catch another ball which Lumpy unintentionally throws across the ring. Lumpy continues to ride in the air while juggling the other two balls while Red bounces the green ball up and down. Eventually Lumpy comes to a sudden realization, and looks between his legs, only to discover he's been riding on nothing before he falls to the ground (and seemingly disappears from the dream). Red catches the other two balls and begins juggling all three of them, and then balances them on top of each other, after which he receives an uproarous applause. But then the sound of clapping turns into the sound of rain, and Red awakens, left to face bleak reality. Depressed, he returns to the corner where he was previously resting, and goes back to sleep. The short ends with the final image of the neon sign for "Eben's Bikes".