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Knick Knack is a computer animated Pixar short film released in 1989. It was directed by John Lasseter.
Plot synopsis
A snowman stuck in a snow globe (named Knick, the cousin of Frosty the Snowman, according to the audio commentary) wants to reach a pretty "Sunny Miami" Knick Knack at the other end of the bookshelf. He tries many unsuccessful but humorous methods to get out of his globe, (including a blowtorch and high explosives) but when he finally breaks out he falls into a fish bowl. He is mad only momentarily, as he sees an attractive "Sunny Atlantis" mermaid Knick Knack and immediately tries to run to her. Suddenly, his globe falls on him and traps him inside once again.
Versions
The film has been released in two versions, and each of these have been shown in both 3-D and 2-D.
It was originally shown in 3-D at the 1988 SIGGRAPH Animation Show. The original edition (though in conventional 2-D) was on the Walt Disney VHS Tiny Toy Stories, and also on the Toy Story Deluxe CAV Laserdisc Edition, which are both now out of print.
The film was completely rebuilt and re-rendered for release in theatres preceding Finding Nemo. In this version the girl on the "Miami" knick knack and the mermaid in the fish bowl have undergone a breast reduction, and the mermaid is now wearing a bra rather than just starfish pasties. Lasseter defended by the changes by saying, "It wasn’t big bad Disney coming in and insisting we do this … it was our own choice. It was just crossing the line for me personally as a father. So I made the decision to reduce (these characters’) breast size.”[1] This version is available on the Finding Nemo DVD set, the Pixar Shorts volume 1 DVD, and through the iTunes Store. A 3-D version of the "small breasts" edition played to the public as a short attached to the 2006 Disney Digital 3D release of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Critical acclaim
In 1990, it won the Best Short Film award at the Seattle International Film Festival and in 2001 Terry Gilliam selected it as one of the ten best animated films of all time[2].
References to Knick Knack in other media
- In 2007 and 2008, a series of commercials released in the UK for BUPA featured the Knick Knack theme tune as their soundtrack.
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