Partly Cloudy

Dir: Peter Sohn

2009

***

Partly Cloudy, the Pixar short made to accompany the studio big 2009 feature Up, is a good example of the animation giant's ability to think outside the box, when still working with traditional themes. Director Peter Sohn was influenced by Disney's Dumbo, a film that captivated him as a young child. A Stork delivers Dumbo in the classic 1941 animation, so a young Sohn believed for years that babies must have come from the sky, or indeed the clouds and that is why flying animals needed to deliver them. Partly Cloudy sees clouds creating various different babies of various different species. The cloud of the story is a lovable yet hapless chap called Gus who has Peck as his personal delivery stork. Peck finds himself at the wrong end of many of Gus's creations, and after being bitten by a baby crocodile, spiked by a baby porcupine and head-butted by a bighorn sheep, he finally flies away, knowing that a baby shark is his next delivery bundle. Gus feels sad, let down and a little angry about being left and created a huge thunderstorm until Peck comes back, dressed head to toe in protective sports gear. They make up and go about their business once more, although Peck's next delivery, a baby electric eel, finds a way of getting passed his new defense-wear. It's charming, playful, sweet and beautifully animated and was a suitable companion to Up.