Pixar’s ‘SparkShorts’ — Art Without The Need For Profit

It’s hard being a storyteller in a world of commercialization. Stories are works of art. They are their own living and breathing organisms meant to be experienced. Nonetheless, art cannot exist without profit in the current climate. That’s what allows these storytellers to do their jobs. Executives are constantly looking for ways to turn stories into products. So it is refreshing to find content created to be enjoyed without the ball-and-chain of making money. It’s rare these days, but Pixar’s SparkShorts are a great example.

SparkShorts vary wildly in style and form. But, for the most part, they are all wholesome and have an overall positive message about life after a brief struggle. Burrow is about a rabbit trying to make a home in an underground neighborhood. Twenty Something is about a young woman trying to deal with her insecurities, which are personified as three kids in a trench coat. One of the most impactful stories is called Kitbull. This tale features a stray cat who is terrorized by a junkyard pit bull. But once the cat learns that the pit bull is being terrorized by his owner, they form a kinship and head out on their own.

Big budget theatrical releases need to be greenlit by executives who are always concerned about the bottom line. Writers and directors may not care as much, but there needs to be some sort of angle to justify a production. This either means having a story that appeals to certain demographics or seeing a way to merchandise its characters and properties. SparkShorts does none of this. Each are small, isolated stories meant to be enjoyed for a brief period of time. They feel wholesome, as if their creators are acutely aware of the freedom they have in regards to commercialization. They are art for the sake of art rather than profit, which is something the world is in need of right now.

SparkShorts are now streaming on Disney+.