I finally took my kids to see Disney's Wreck-It Ralph a few weeks back, and it was fantastic. Have no idea why I waited so long to see it. (You can hear me raving about it roughly 42 minutes into our most recent podcast.) Also fantastic was the short that proceeded it — Paperman, which Disney Animation made by blending newfangled CG technologies with old-fashioned, hand-drawn 2D artwork. This thing is gorgeous, with its expressive characters telling a charming yet simple story in black and white with only select splashes of color. It's the kind of inspired animation project — from both a technological and storytelling perspective — that everyone hoped Disney proper would start producing once Pixar's John Lassater was put in charge back in 2006. Between Paperman and Wreck-It Ralph, we're really starting to see the fruits of that union.
Anyway, Disney just put the short online for all to enjoy. Check it out for yourself:
UPDATE (4/19/13): Disney is unfortunately no longer offering Paperman for free, though you can purchase it for $1.99. Thanks to aharris88 for the heads up.
