Knick Knack (1989) User Reviews

Nice early Pixar short

[rbverhoef · 8/10 · 9 February 2005]

'Knick Knack' starts with a couple of souvenirs taken from vacation in Florida. We see some palm trees dancing and a beach bunny dancing on a nice little tune. Then we take a look at the other end of the table. A souvenir from Alaska, a snowman in a glass dome, wants to join the hot party and especially the hot girl. He tries to break the glass of the dome in any way possible.

This animated short directed John Lasseter ('Toy Story', 'A Bug's Life') is a pretty impressive early film from the Pixar studio. It looks great and is inventive. The ending gives us the biggest laugh, but before that there are quite some funny moments.

Proves Pixar was onto something

[Agent10 · 7/10 · 11 June 2003]

Even when the whole idea of computer animation was still in its infancy, Pixar displayed ingenuity which wasn't even being thought of in the current industry. It just goes to show that Pixar is here to stay, and the serene cuteness of this little film proved to be one of the building blocks for a future empire.

A funny and good Pixar short

[emasterslake · 8/10 · 16 April 2005]

This is another Pixar short made during their early years.

It's about Knick Knacks, and the characters are knick Knacks resembling Warm places. While one is a snow globe with a Snow Man in it. He wants to join with the other Knick Knacks but he's stuck in his own Snow Globe.

Through out the short he tries all he can to escape from the Snow Globe. This short contains allot of Chuck Jones like references. And has some good animation on the snow flakes in the snow globe.

You're able to see it off of Find Nemo DVD.

Rate: 8/10 Very memorable and funny wish they start making a collector's line up of these knick knacks.

Judge this by 1989's standards and you'll realize its brilliance

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 12 February 2008]

If you watch this today, you're bound to enjoy this short quite a bit because of its wonderful humor and decent computer generated animation. However, when you realize that it was made almost 20 years ago AND the state of computers and computer graphics at that time, you'll know just how creative ahead of its time it was when it debuted. Think about it--most homes didn't have computers. Those who did had 386 processors or even less powerful processors and Windows 3.0 (a mess) was just about to debut. Serious animation STILL needed to be done with enormous and ridiculously expensive computers and the software for rendering these images couldn't be bought--it had to be created by Pixar. Unlike more modern CGI,where Dreamworks, Fox and even people at home can make nice quality graphics, this was all done from scratch. Talk about a huge undertaking!!!! So in light of all this, KNICK KNACK was an absolutely incredible film. Heck, even today, it's still incredibly funny and watchable. I might even put it STILL in the top 2 or 3 of Pixar's films because the script is so hilarious and poignant. A masterful achievement in every respect. So,...then WHY wasn't this film even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film?!?! Several other Pixar films were but not KNICK KNACK--yet I loved this film and almost anyone (except the absolute worst curmudgeon) would also love this film! If anyone knows the answer to this conundrum, please drop me a line--I'm dying to know.

Short and very funny

[bob the moo · 10 July 2004]

In a room full of ornaments and toys, a group of dolls, little models and decorations all sit enjoying the warm temperature and glow of an unseen sun.

All, that is, except a single snowman, trapped inside a 'greetings from Alaska' snow dome. With a doll waving him on, he attempts to break out and enjoy the party.

Found on the DVD for Finding Nemo, I found this film to be funnier and much more enjoyable than the feature (although both were good). It stands to show that Pixar were onto something as, even if the graphics are a bit blocky compared to Nemo, the comedy is great and the characters are well enough created to be fun. The routine is basic – snowman tries to break out without much success, however it has such energy, pace and solid imagination that I was laughing consistently despite a slow start (ie the first 20 seconds – what a moaner!).

The animation is slick if not perfect and my early worries over the snowman were never realized. I thought he looked a bit too sinister to be a sympathetic character, but his mishaps helped win me round even if his features were still pretty rough and unlikely to get him the dolls in question! He is a great lead and you can't help but feel sorry for him – but not to the point where you stop laughing at him!

Overall this was a very pleasant surprise and the continuation of a very clever ploy in regards Pixar DVD's. I for one love the short films on many of their DVD's and I hope they continue doing it even if I would rather see them release a compilation DVD with all of them on one disk. Anyway, this was very well put together even if it has aged a bit and I laughed the whole way through it to the bittersweet ending – well worth seeing if you get the chance.

four minutes of the cutest Pixar animation yet

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 21 October 2006]

This is a perfectly goofy time with Knick Knack, especially before a feature. It's four minutes of a situation, with a little snowman in a snow-globe pining for a little woman in the mix of a group of boppin-souvenirs. He finally gets out, but to a disastrous finale. It's very to the point in every measure, and all the while cute without actually being only for kids. In fact, I think I laughed at this harder now than I did when I first saw this as a kid. It's got a sense of humor to it that starts with the first shot, and continues all the way to the very end. Is it laugh-out-loud funny? Not entirely; it's got me 'heh-heh' type laughs all abound, with a few of the biggest laughs coming with the obvious pratfalls and errors. But even the music used is done with a big wink and a grin, especially during the end credits as the little voices are accompanied by a 'blah-blah-blah' voice. It's an Oscar-caliber little ruby of a short that, much like the early Disney shorts, doesn't overstay its welcome, and has an appeal ranging from 2 years old to 92 (to put it like a typical critic). It's a sweetly cruel piece of fluff.

Early Pixar

[TheOtherFool · 7/10 · 16 July 2004]

Funny little short comedy by the Pixar people, which I saw as an extra on the Finding Nemo DVD.

A snowman is trapped in one of those glass snow domes, but he wants to break out as all the other toys are having a good time in the sun. So he tries to break/blow his way through but things just don't work for him. When he and the dome finally fall down, we think he can escape but again, the dome gets the better of him...

Well made and fun, we can see why Pixar became such a huge company over the years. If you have the Finding Nemo DVD, make sure you check this one out.

7/10.

Great short-film!

[m0rpher · 10/10 · 25 July 2003]

This is truly a wonderful short-film. I love it!

The animation was great, the storyline is clever, and every time I've watched it, it's made me smile.

(Oh, and thumbs up to the amazing Bobby McFerrin for the awesome background music.)

one of Pixar's early efforts

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 22 August 2008]

i thought this early animated short from Pixar was quite good.it's funny and ironic,plus it has a very catchy and infectious tune.it's also very low key,and movies at a nice sedate pace,which i liked a lot.it's from 1989,so it's a lot different than the animated films we have today.it's a very simple short with a simple story.considering it is nearly 20 years old,it's actually very well done.it's also much more clever than many animated shorts from today,and certainly back then.i'd check it out if you have the chance.you might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.or you might not be.either way,it's not like you're losing a couple of hours.for me,Knick Knack is a 7/10

A Solid Animation Short

[travisimo · 8/10 · 6 December 2003]

Before computer animation was all the rage, I bet the Pixar guys made this little gem simply as a labor of love. From this early creation, you can take a glimpse of the clever storytelling that would become a staple of Pixar's full-length features. This short gives you a chuckle as the disgruntled snowman struggles to get out of his snow globe to hang with the knick-knack ladies of Hawaii and Atlantis. It's quite a cute feature, but it can only go so far. I wouldn't consider it a classic like other animation shorts like `Mickey's Trailer' and `Duck! Rabbit, Duck!' but I think it will become a nice little treasure in the Pixar vault.

My IMDB Rating: 8/10

Not much to say...

[patrick_dunne · 7/10 · 22 January 2006]

Knick Knack is simply a short film that the theaters showed right before the movie. (I forgot which one it was- FInding Nemo or Monsters Inc?) I think it was one of Pixar's earliest short films. The story is about a snowman in a globe. He wishes to join all the other souvenirs outside of his globe, especially the hot Miami Beach souvenirs. So, he tries to break out of his snow globe.

I don't know what to say. It's a short film with no dialog. Instead, it has some psychical humor and a funny sense of irony at the end.

I suppose that I would recommend it, because Pixar is good at humor, and because it's only a couple minutes long. What else is there to say?

7/10

Feel free to send me a Private Message regarding this comment.

A wonderful, wonderful film

[rashah · 10/10 · 18 February 2003]

I first showed this to my business unit in 1996, to show that we needed to keep trying to achieve our goals, despite the setbacks along the way.

It became a kind of anthem for our team as we grew, and we ended up showing "the snowman film" at every group biannual meeting since.

I totally love the soundtrack, the animation, the story and everything about it - a real 10/10!

Good luck!

[Fjkkn · 7/10 · 1 May 2021]

Knick Knack is a short animation film with no dialogue. A snowman finds a girl who gestures to him to join her. He tries to go there but he notices that he is in the snow globe so he can't. He tries to break the snow globe in many ways in order to meet her directly. In my view, it is a miracle that the ornament of summer and winter exists in the same area because people usually exchange the ornament depending on the season. Actually, many summer ornaments are there, while only the snow globe represents winter. In spite of the miracle, there are many obstacles as if summer and winter never cross the line. The comparison is very interesting to me. I really hope he meets her directly and you should watch this funny ending.

nice

[satohakilesson · 5/10 · 17 July 2013]

This story is that a snowman tries to run away from a water tank because he longs for perpetual summer and playing with friends.

I like the scene that he tries many ways to escape. For example, he blasts and knocks, however these ways are waste. I also like the scene that he gets out of the bowl once, however he gets in it, and the contacts with a woman. If I were him, I would give up, however he tries many times, so I want to look up to him.

I do not have scene that I do not like because this movie is full of my tastes. This movie is so funny that many children can watch this easily.

The conclusion of this movie is that the snowman finished without running away, but it is important to try repeatedly. I think this movie teaches us that heart.

An early Pixar gem

[skad13 · 10/10 · 4 June 2003]

I first saw this Pixar short when it appeared in theaters in 1989 as part of a short-film project sponsored by American Express. It was like a great delight that popped up on the screen and then anonymously disappeared. I just saw the theatrical Pixar release Finding Nemo, and Pixar has had the great good sense to preface their new feature with this charming short. It's a 4-minute gem, with hilarious gags and great music by Bobby McFerrin. I hope Pixar puts this out on the Finding Nemo DVD. In the meantime, if you're seeing Finding Nemo, don't be late--Nemo is very good on its own, but this short is worth the price of admission in itself!

Excellent computer animated short

[James L. · 26 August 2000]

The animation is truly excellent, using dynamic structures and design. Very amusing script about a snowman in a snowglobe,as well as other " Knickknacks". Interesting concept and very good computer animation make this a gem. By Pixar, who later , after a series of milestone shorts, worked with Disney on several computer animated features.

Stone wall may not make a prison, but a snowglobe works fairly well here!

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 19 March 2002]

This has got to be one of the most delightful animated shorts I have ever seen in my life! It was once said that a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Watching this, I wondered if that includes snowmen! The ending of this was magnificent! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! Pixar did a grand job here. While I know features are their bread-and-butter, I fervently hope they continue producing these little darts that score bullseyes most of the time. Pixar, please put your shorts back in circulation! Pardon me, but I need to get a certain snowman something that will cut through plastic! Most joyously recommended. A grand slam!

The dome preventing him

[Indiana-Harrison · 7/10 · 9 August 2017]

Knick Knack is a short film about toys. A snowman which is inside a snow dome wants to get out there and have some fun. It's quite a funny film, but there is some serious side.

Seeing other toys hanging out from inside the dome, the snowman wants to join them. And girl doll invites him to join them. He is really glad to be invited and tries to get out of the snow dome somehow. His efforts are kind of funny, but those show us how desperate for communication he is. He is captured in the dome and can't touch other toys. I can't laugh at him simply. His loneliness is the motivation for his actions.

At last he can get out of the dome for a moment and meets a mermaid doll. When he takes a step to her, the dome falls onto him and he gets stuck in the dome again. His interactions are prevented by the dome again. Maybe the same things like this happen in our lives. The difference is just whether we can see the dome or not.

very early Pixar

[Siloty · 10/10 · 18 June 2008]

this is a very early Pixar animation which i saw when i watched Finding Nemo at the cinemas and i found it an enjoyment.

a little snowman in a snow-globe sees a mermaid toy he is attracted to and tries all these different ways to get out of the snow-globe to get to the mermaid toy. you somewhat feel sorry for the snowman as none of his efforts actually succeed, and then the one that does, which is very simple, turns out against him in the end.

this is quite a simple yet entertaining little flick and i find every minute of this short counted. enjoyed by young people and older alike. Pixar have a thing for making good shorts.

poor little snowman

good ending

[enamiyamoto · 7/10 · 11 October 2023]

'KNICK KNACK' is a comedy about a snowman who always stays in a snow globe. One day he wants to meet a girl who is on the outside of the snow globe, and he decides to escape from the snow globe. The story is so funny and adorable. The character's facial expression change is very clear and make it easy to understand how he feels. This story has no dialogue, and I can understand what every character wants to do. He tries many different ways and unbelievable ways. His plan becomes more and more extreme as the story progresses. But all avenues he explores do not go well and he is usually damaged. These action scenes are very dynamic and humorous. Finally, he can exit the snow globe in an unexpected way, and everyone thinks he is sure to succeed. However, he unfortunately is captured in the snow globe again. This story has a charming main character and a good ending.

The cutest snowman

[maiiiiebiiii · 10/10 · 22 December 2021]

'Knick-Knack' is a short-animated film, and it was made by PIXAR in 1989. The setting of this film is the world of toys. A snowman who is in a snow globe falls in love with a girl in a bikini. Then he tries to get out of the snow globe and meet her. Can he meet the girl in the end?

This is a quite short film with no dialog, but it portrays the snowman's characteristic well. He is very bold and acts daringly in order to meet the girl. It is really cute to see him working hard. The music is cheerful and there are a lot of cute characters such as a palm tree, a cactus, and so on in this film. So, the audience can be excited to watch it. It is worth seeing. I especially recommend it to children and the people who likes the animated films.

"knick-knack" world

[nekogasuki · 7/10 · 26 July 2013]

What image do you have about the title of "Knick-Knack"? This short film is held between knick-knacks, so the main characters are small objects in the ordinary room. There are objects which symbolize summer, but one of them is a snowman who is living in the snow dome. He wants to join summer and tries to get out of his dome. It is interesting that the knick-knacks having their feeling and they are living. It's funny that imagined my knick-knacks are also moving when I get out. I would like to recommend not only children but also adults watching this film. We are apt to waste everything compared with old days. So, I want you to think about that problem. On the other hand, I became to dislike the snow dome. I often bought the snow dome for souvenirs, but I thought it is like a transparent prison for snowman. I cannot buy it anymore.

good structure

[maone-72534 · 10/10 · 27 May 2022]

The comedy film "Knick Knack" was released in 1989. There is a Miami bikini girl on one side of the shelf, and a Snowman in a snow globe on the other. She is with other things, for example flamingo. And then she gestures to the snowman as if to call him over. And the snowman falls in love with the girl. So he tries to exit the snow globe to meet her. He tries to get out of the snow globe using various methods, such as hammer, drill, and dynamite. But he can't exit there.

And when he uses the dynamite, the snow globe shakes and falls from the shelf. And...

This film was created by PIXAR. Therefore, these characters are cute, especially the snowman. And this storyline and structure is good. I can learn how to write short story from this film. And for these reasons, I understand this film has a reputation as a good short film.

Snowman in the snow globe is trying to get out of snow globe.

[izmsyoko · 6/10 · 10 August 2017]

What snowman wants in this movie is very clear. Snowman faces various barriers and overcomes them and there is the ending. This is short film, but the plot is beautiful. This work is PIXER and will lead to the stories such as "finding nemo" and "toy story". Characters are cute and there is an original world view and there is clear introduction, development, turn and conclusion. This work is just like PIXER.

This movie is funny and brief, so I like it. Snowman is cute. Snowman's various ideas to meet a cute doll are interesting point of this movie.

Knick Knack lacks the warmth that made Lasseter's previous shorts memorable.

[TheMovieDiorama · 5/10 · 28 September 2018]

After winning the Academy Award with 'Tin Toy', Pixar continued experimenting with its, at the time, genre capabilities. This time dabbling into pure visual comedy, reminiscent of classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons like 'Tom and Jerry' (damn, I miss that show). The reliance of slapstick humour, crazy antics and a disposable premise made for a slightly entertaining watch. However its technical merit has somewhat depreciated and is a step down from 'Tin Toy'. This computer animated cartoon sees a snow globe snowman attempt to break out of its prison so that it can join a summer themed party of other souvenirs. I'm sure the primary question you are asking yourself is: how does a snowman break out of a snow globe? Well my friend, easy question. A cutting torch, carrot chisel, jackhammer and the detonation of TNT. A mightily equipped souvenir, clearly. Watching it unleash all of these constructive (yet destructive) tools will certainly keep younger viewers entertained for its three minute runtime. The jazzy a cappella accompaniment also adds to its zaniness. Yet, something was missing. It almost felt too derivative, lacking the memorability of the previous shorts. The animation was squandered, with supposedly curved edges looking more jagged than a triangle, in order to focus on the comedy aspects. The anthropomorphic characters lacked design, the addition of sunglasses was a feature that felt uninspired. In terms of technical advancements, this really didn't test the the experimental boundaries that it should've been targeting. Still, a mildly entertaining short that just feels too cold.