Pixar Shorts Deep Dive: Red's Dream - Heartbreaking!

Okay, so I'm on my Pixar short filmography completionist kick (trying to watch everything before Elio comes out!), and I just finished Red's Dream. Man, these early ones are DARK. Like, unexpectedly bleak. It's not Luxo Jr. cute, that's for sure. It's about a unicycle named Red sitting in a bike shop clearance sale and having this elaborate dream sequence where he's a star performer. The clown is kinda creepy, not gonna lie, but the juggling act is legit impressive for 1987 CGI. But then...the dream ends and he's just...back in the corner, still unwanted. That last shot of the rain reflecting on the window...oof. Hit me way harder than I expected a short about a unicycle to. I kinda felt bad for the little guy. It's like a mini-version of Toy Story 2 with Jessie's abandonment, only way more subtle. I'm trying to figure out who exactly directed this (imdb is lacking proper credits here!), because the visual storytelling is actually really strong. The way they transitioned between the real world and the dream was pretty seamless for the time, and that dramatic lighting in the dream sequence? Chef's kiss. It's definitely not the most technically amazing Pixar short now, obviously, but considering when it was made, it is still pretty brilliant. Overall, Red's Dream is a surprisingly impactful short that deserves more recognition. It's a little rough around the edges, sure, but the emotional core is there, and the visual world they created is still cool to see. Definitely worth checking out if you're doing a Pixar deep dive or just want something a little different.