Date Released: 2000
Theatrically Released Alongside: Monsters, Inc. in 2001
For the Birds is a definite drop in quality from Geri’s Game, but at least it doesn’t diminish its theatrical accompaniment Monsters, Inc. (making it a lose-win scenario). It’s a humorous, albeit forgettable three minutes—no groundbreaking animation, no high quality storytelling, just a fun short to pass the time. The plot revolves around a group of small blue birds and one large, gangly bird. The short gives no names to the birds (a first for Pixar shorts), so in Pixar fashion I’ll call the gangly bird Gangle. Gangle wishes to join the small birds on a telephone wire, yet is mocked and ignored for his appearance and honking noise. When Gangle eventually joins the birds, they respond by aggressively pecking him off the wire—only to horrifically realize Gangle’s weight has brought them dangerously close to the ground. Too late to stop the inevitable, Gangle drops off the wire, flinging the small birds high into the sky—feathers flung right off their skin, with Gangle laughing at their ironically strange, new appearance.
While far from groundbreaking, For the Bird’s animation is arguably the first Pixar short to feature high quality, fluent CGI. The animation is bright, colorful, and moves smoothly throughout. The bird's feathers were given individuality, allowing them to ruffle in various directions similar to a real bird. The story is overtly simple, yet a happy one with a humorous theme of ironic karma. My favorite part is when Gangle offers a leaf to cover a naked bird—showing how even when (rightfully) laughing at other’s embarrassment, Gangle is still a nice bird.