Day & Night (2010) Poster

(2010)

User Reviews

Review this title
34 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
9/10
Day & Night
jboothmillard11 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This short computer animated film was shown after the main Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 3, and I was actually really surprised with how much I liked it for being so different. Basically an animated blob style character wakes up being the day, the sun beaming in his stomach and having a quick waterfall trip / pee (possibly my favourite moment). Soon enough while walking through countryside, Day meets another blob style character living in the night, and they are both at first frightened and suspicious of each other. Their fascination for each other quickly turns into a squabble as they fight to have the best daytime or nighttime sight on their bellies. Soon enough they settle their differences and enjoy the sights they each have to show on their bellies, e.g. the daytime sights of Las Vegas, then the nighttime neon light of Las Vegas. Before the film ends, the new good friends hug each other, but then the sun sets and rises on the opposite side, so they have swapped places, Day has become Night, and vice versa. What is clever is that this combines both regular drawn animation with the blob style characters with computer animation for all the realistic looking sights of day and night. The action, comedy and small emotion comes from what is inside the characters' bellies, and it all adds up to a real feel good short animated film. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Short Animated Film. Very good!
6 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Lots of Fun on a Flat Screen Too
boblipton21 June 2010
While other animation studios these days concentrate on features, Pixar likes to remember that it is a cartoon factory and continues to precede each theatrical feature with a short subject. DAY AND NIGHT, the latest, was released along with Pixar's TOY STORY THREE.

While Pixar's features -- and those of its competitors' -- become ever more sophisticated in their uses of computer animation to facilitate their stories, their short subjects have been becoming more cartoony. Their last short, PRESTO, recalled Tex Avery. This one suggests the sort of loose animation style favored by UPA, as one cloudy mass containing daylight scenes bumps into another cloudy mass containing night time scenes. The clouds' outlines are vague, populated by the highly detailed visions one expects of Pixar; but while the interiors show their natures, it is the vague outlines that carry the story -- and their characters.

Fpr a student of animation, it is a typical Pixar delight. Thanks for keeping the short movie cartoon alive, guys.
6 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Another Pixar gem
TheLittleSongbird28 January 2012
I have always liked or loved Pixar's films, and I thought now was a good time to revisit their short films. And I am so glad I did. Day and Night(which I did remember as the short before Toy Story 3) is a gem, even if I would personally put the likes of Presto, Knick Knack, One Man Band and Geri's Game over it. The animation is beautiful with some unique shades and colouring and the detailed backgrounds you would expect, and the music is great with the use of Rossini's William Tell. The story, if not as clear as other Pixar short films, tells so much in 6 minutes and has a thought-provoking message(however different we may be, we are all one and the same) to it of the dangers of racism and tolerance. The humour even without dialogue is smart and somewhat edgy, which I liked. The personifications of daytime and nighttime are very well done and easy to root for, I loved the end especially where night and day became twilight. Overall, if you love Pixar, you'll love this. 9/10 Bethany Cox
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Day & Night was a fine and unique Pixar short
tavm21 June 2010
This Pixar short that preceded Toy Story 3 seemed different than other shorts that came before other Disney/Pixar features. For one thing, there was no clear story that you got from others. Also, the whole thing wasn't completely computer animated as the two characters of the title seemed actually hand drawn with the computer stuff inside them. And then there is some message that is said by a Dr. Wayne Dyer that seemed to drive home the lesson that one should get along despite differences or a fear of the unknown. Not a bad message though-having read some comments-not everyone is going to get it or want to. Still, Day & Night is a worthy addition to the Pixar group of opuses that provide some humor with whatever points they're trying to make. Mega kudos to the director Teddy Newton.
14 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
a fun, weird, amazing combination of light and dark, 2D and 3D animation
Quinoa198418 June 2010
Two side of the coin, day and night, appear as characters and look on at one another in awe and jealousy. That sounds like the simple of this latest Pixar short, appearing before Toy Story 3, but it's got a lot more sophistication, humor, and nuttiness going on than most other Pixar shorts. It also does something I've never seen from the production company: they have 2D, traditional hand-drawn animation! Sort of. Well, what happens is we see a landscape of day, and night, and they're in the traditional Pixar computer-animation. But then two figures, who are kind of blobs with eyes and noses and mouths, appear as the day and night fill up their bodies? This is less confusing than it sounds: like other Pixar shorts it takes an idea and runs with it, feeling complete as a story. But this time, as a difference, there's some smarter, edgier humor even than usual (and I've seen plenty from these shorts). Best is when the 'Night' figure looks on at 'Day' as a bunch of girls in bikinis (and one just sunning herself) are by a pool, but then when he/it looks on him/itself, the pool is closed. Also great is how a radio station and broadcast is used, sounding like it's out of the Twilight Zone. It's an ingenious little movie.
13 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The clever and enjoyable construct helps take the "corn" off the message
bob the moo22 August 2010
Day and night sees two characters in a black world who, within their outline, represent scenes from night time and daytime. Day first sees night while he is asleep and is drawn to the differences in his outline. When night wakes up it becomes a conflict with a competition to show off who is the best of the two by virtue of what they have going on within their outlines.

Day & Night is not quite the usual Pixar animated short simply because the animation is a bit less impressive than previous shorts (where the animation has been on a par with the feature film). This is not to say it is somehow cheap but just that it is not the beautifully detailed world that is about to come with Toy Story 3. This aside though the animation is very clever indeed as the characters move across their black world providing a view into night and day on the other side. It moves so seamlessly and easily that it is easy to follow and I was surprised by how inventive it was while also remaining quite simple an idea.

The message is that we should embrace our differences rather than fear them or compete over them. This message has the potential to be a bit corny (and indeed it is a bit bluntly delivered via the radio speech) but the clever manner of the short means it does actually work pretty well and it doesn't feel that way. I know that some viewers will probably sigh at being told this sort of thing in this way, but for most viewers it should be well received and of course, for children, it will perhaps not be seen as so obvious as adults will see it.

A clever and well animated little short then. Not quite the stuff one expects from Pixar in terms of looks but very enjoyable and well done.
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Another classic six minute animated short film from Pixar!
Hellmant23 February 2011
'DAY & NIGHT': Four Stars (Out of Five)

Another classic six minute animated short film from Pixar and directed by Teddy Newton, who has been involved in the art department and acting in Pixar and other animated films for several years now. The film tells the story of 'Day' and 'Night' meeting and of course clashing by each others' frightening differences. The film turns into a tale of not judging others for being alien to you and learning to get along despite differences. It opens preceding 'TOY STORY 3', like classic animated films used to (and Pixar has been doing for years now). I'm sure it will be up for an Academy Award come Oscar time. A nice little film.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBqNUf10kuk
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Brilliant Pixar short which shows before Toy Story 3,even though it bares none to Toy Story 3 itself,
lesleyharris3026 July 2010
Day and Night is a hilarious short and I would say one of Pixars best shorts yet,for a change instead of the usual computer animation this is shown in 2-D (with some computer animation as well)which is an enjoyable change for Pixar.

Day,a guy whos inside of his body is daytime and Night,a guy whos inside of his body is night time don't get along very well and try to get each other jealous by showing what there time has and what there one hasn't,for example,Day has a girl at the beach in a bikini and when Night tries it,it just shows a queit dark beach with no one there,simply hilarious.
2 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Top-notch animation and story, but where's the heart?
Horst_In_Translation3 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This may also be the question that the Academy asked themselves when they picked Australian entry "The Lost Thing" over Pixar's "Day & Night" for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short that year. On the technical level, it really doesn't get much better than "Day & Night". The animation is brilliant, it's fast, it's witty and it oozes creativity. But I just felt it wasn't emotional at all and even the scenes where Day and Night were sad or happy about what they (not) experienced weren't really emotionally investing like previous Pixar short films, such as the very early "Red's Dream". It just lacks almost completely the charm that Toy Story 3, the film with which it was shown together in theaters, was so full of.

Nonetheless, it's a pretty interesting take on life (or lack thereof) during day and night and the two protagonists, after initial disdain, quickly get curious about what happens during the other's time of the day. This includes casinos, butterflies, attractive women, fireflies, fireworks and many more. Finally they manage to find a way to see each other's marvels and the fusion sequence is quite a thing of beauty. A must-watch for animation lovers and an entertaining six minutes for everybody else too.
3 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Showing the virtues of cooperation when you have different "skill sets", so to speak.
llltdesq16 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This short was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short. There will be spoilers ahead:

This is a very simple but effective short, based on the premise that two different entities showcase whatever point they occupy during the day or at night and whatever is happening on the spot at a particular point in time is visible within their frame.

One of the more interesting and entertaining aspects of this short for me is that what the viewer sees within the characters frequently corresponds with what that character or those characters are doing. It's done quite effectively.

The two, "Day" and "Night" begin by being surprised, disturbed, distrustful and angry at the differences, escalating towards conflict between them until they accidentally find a way to mutually benefit through cooperation, thus opening up whole new vistas and opportunities only available to them if they work together.

In case the visuals you see don't make that point, there's some radio chatter toward the end of the short which makes the point directly and explicitly. It's a lecture, but it's an entertaining lecture.

This short is available on DVD as an extra on Toy Story 3 and on the Pixar Shorts Collection 2 and is well worth watching. Most recommended.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
It was a nice experiment, but it didn't capture my heart...
planktonrules26 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I might try to describe the substance of this film, but frankly it defies description. You simply have to see the short to understand what it the story is.

This short was shown before Disney's recent release of "Toy Story 3". While my daughter loved this short, I only mildly enjoyed it. Now there were some things to admire about this film. First, it was unique and highly creative. I can say that despite my having seen a ton of shorts over the years, this one is nothing like any of them! In addition, the animation, not surprisingly, was top-notch--something we have all come to expect from Pixar. And, finally, the short did a great job of telling a story with absolutely no dialog..none. But, on the other hand, the film seldom made me laugh and it was pretty insignificant in many ways. I would consider this about average for a Pixar short but certainly not in the same league as their best shorts--such as "Jack-Jack Attack", "Lifted" or "Knick-Knack" (one of their earliest and still my favorite).
4 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Fun animation
briancham199411 August 2020
This animated short film shows the power of visual storytelling. There is not one word of dialogue but the characters still shine through and express themselves. The animation style is interesting as it is 2D but has a lot of digital techniques as well. Overall it is very clever in its construction.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
3D and 2D, sound and silence
Polaris_DiB9 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Day & Night THIS is why I love Pixar's imagination and storytelling techniques mixed with the best technical product they can offer. They take 3D animation and make a movie entirely about very traditional looking, 2D flat characters--the 3D is the landscape seen through their silhouettes, the action is all two dimensional against black. Honestly amazing and original.

Unfortunately, Pixar's shorts are so successful in my mind precisely because they rely on telling a story without dialog, usually utilizing sound for comedic effect instead. This time they just had to go and insert a message stated directly to the viewer right into the movie, instead of presenting their message in its own way. I think the whole radio moment could have been completely edited out, and they go right on into the sunrise/sunset juxtaposition that was so much more creative and beautiful.

--PolarisDiB
0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
mumble jumble message
SnoopyStyle22 October 2016
Day and Night are two beings who project vistas of daytime and nighttime on their bodies. They are as different as night and day but eventually they find similarities in their opposites. There is a quote from self-help guru Wayne Dyer and the two characters find common ground in the dusk of the sunset.

It's trying to say something. I'm guessing followers of Dyer would be crying over the profound message of the movie. I don't know Dyer from the average Joe. It's just a bunch of prosaic mumble jumble to me. In the end, it's an intriguing idea that is more showy than actually profound or compelling.
1 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
each other's good point
rrrray_rec4 August 2013
There are two men, one's body is day and another 's body is night. First, Day finds Night. He is night, so he sleeps very well. Day prevents Night from sleeping. Night gets angry for Day, so they fight with. However, Night found that each other's body shows different scene. Therefore, they enjoy watching various scenes, for example building's illumination, watching movie, which is road show, flying show, fire works and woman bathing swimsuit. At last, the next day comes.

I think that two men were very cute. First, they fought with, but they found good point of each other and enjoyed watching scenes as if they are children. They embraced each other halfway, because they wanted to watch rising sun. This scene made me happy and I smiled. I think that director's idea, which movie's scene is black to show pictures by using two men is rare. This movie has much humor and child's mind.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Conceptual genius
neil-4764 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
As usual with Pixar, a short precedes the feature: with Toy Story 3 it was Day & Night. More of a conceptual piece than a story as such, this is incredibly cleverly realised. There are two characters, both of whom are relatively straightforward amorphous all-purpose hand-drawn two dimensional cartoon characters - roughly humanoid (ie. two arms, two legs, and a face) though conveniently malleable when necessary. The clever stuff comes by virtue of the fact that their outlines are used as frames for a 3D CGI background. It is the same background for both of them, but the view for one of them is daytime and, for the other, nighttime. This is initially a cause for antagonism, then for interest, then enthusiasm, and finally...

These Pixar shorts are always spectacular in their own way, but this one is perhaps the cleverest of all. It succeeds as an entertainment piece - there is bags of visual interest and, as usual, laugh out loud humour. But it also makes a point about embracing our differences because, in the end, we are all the same, and makes it without preaching.

Very clever, very entertaining, and highly recommended.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Pixar's most abstract short
CubsandCulture4 January 2021
In this fable of xenophobia and tolerance a day and a night learn that they are not so different after all. It is a story of enemies to friends that we have seen hundreds of times but never quite like this. The short's personification of day/night is a very striking blend of 2d and 3d animation. The gags are all well structured to the underlying concept. It has the zany vibe of Duck Amuck and other 50's Loony Toons. This stands out from the other Pixar shorts.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Fun film, not Pixar's best.
AnonymousbutDilpreet00223 August 2020
Really well-made film. From the animation style, I guess it's strictly for kids, although everyone can enjoy it. The unique colour combinations make it very interesting. It's very original, and that's the best thing of all. But it's a kind of short which I appreciate but can't say I loved. Probably because it didn't make me feel anything, nor it's funny.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Just a Kind Portrayal of Day/Night as Anthropomorphic
Hitchcoc1 May 2019
Two little blobby characters, representing day and night, confront each other. They examine what each has to offer and it brings about fear. Of course, since we see things primarily from our perspective, it is significant (since they are portrayed as if they were human) that they hold close to their own protective nature. All in all, this is a "nice" film and nothing more. After watching so many shorts that have a significant message, this is sort of forgettable. It is certainly visually striking.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Winner of the the Best Short Film at the 38th Annie Awards.
ashfordofficial11 December 2021
A perfect combination of 2D and 3D animation. A story about two separate but equal entities that shared a common spectrum of life and everything Inside.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Day and night review
maddiebuggie21 June 2020
The animation style that the animators did make this short film a ten out of ten stars alone. But the story line, plot, characters, character development Were all really good too. They did a really good job on this short film given the time limit they had. This is super family friendly so everyone no matter the age can watch this short film. I highly recommend this short story to everyone to watch.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
A fantastic short with a unique combination of 2D and 3D animation
Stompgal_877 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I remember seeing this short at the cinema when I saw 'Toy Story 3 (Pixar's best film so far) with one of the support workers (who found the characters cute) from my former care home and it is one of the best Pixar shorts I have ever seen.

The character designs were reminiscent of earlier Disney animations and I liked how the 3D animations represented the characters' actions such as a small waterfall to signify Day relieving himself, Night's annoyance of the pool being shut when he stands in front of it and both characters coming together as one when Day's sun sets and Night's sun rises. I also liked the changes of music to match the different actions and how the characters started to get along about halfway through.

Overall, this is a visual treat that is every bit as entertaining as the film it preceded. 10/10.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Different.
colorthekid28 December 2019
I mean, as far as animation goes, this is definitely creative as hell. But yeah, it's a Pixar short, so there's that.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
In my opinion, the sun is our GOD.
MK_Movie_Reviews23 August 2021
Day & Night We appreciate both.

I love sunshine and lying down on the beach in the daytime. At the same time, the city night view in Vegas is fantastic!!

Without the sun, we're living in dark.

That is why I think God is the Sun.

The Sun is our only God.
0 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Love Child
tedg20 July 2010
Pixar is a cinematic laboratory that allows us to see their better experiments and incidentally gets support to continue. They have a long tradition — as long as I can recall — of making short films to play before their expensive features. These shorts focus on some cinematic technique that Pixar wants to push past the state of the art. In every case, that bold experiment in the short is what is used in the feature. It is embedded, not so obvious, but it is there, helping to make the thing fresh.

Disney on the other hand is a box office manager. Like the other studios, they care little about the product or even the health of the talent. They want box office receipts and lots of them. If you have been following the story, Pixar gave the rights to Toy Story sequels to Disney as part of the original deal. They ended up making TS2 themselves in defense of what they knew would be dumb. After being bought by Disney, they now have no choice.

Elsewhere, you will see that I did not like Toy Story 3. Not at all. There is no advance, no adventure, no dynamism. I think what they wanted to do was play with dimensionality in 3 and had some very clever ideas ready. Think of more, much more of Mr. Potatohead on a taco. So they started on this short. But Disney fell back to what worked the last time, and they are the boss.

As bland as TS3 is, this is incredible. I would have paid the full IMAX price just for it. There is a thin sort of story. All Pixar stories are small lessons in life, and this is no different. But the story is insignificant other than showing the harmony of symmetry. We have two beings of course, and two phases of the day. But the real two-ness is the two- dimensional cartoon of Disney fame and the three-dimensional one that Pixar pretty much invented.

A great deal about the world in film is different in these two approaches. Can they be married? Can the flat values of Disney be combined with the deeper worlds of Pixar? To judge from this, yes. But to judge from the feature that followed, no.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
4 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed