The Blue Umbrella: A Love Declaration To The Rain #monstersuevent

* I attended an all-expense paid press trip courtesy of Pixar/Disney. The review is in our own words and is our opinion.

Pixar’s The Blue Umbrella has so many amazing things going for it. The stunning animation definitely gets the first mention! I promise that you will be impressed with the realism in this short film. Second, the story line is the sweetest account of “boy meets girl” ever! Who knew that umbrellas could make you tear up? Third, it’s a story that features rain. I love the rain. I love the sound of raindrops. I love the way sidewalks glisten in the rain. You’ll wish for rainy weather after seeing this film. Lastly, The Blue Umbrella opens before Monsters University on June 21st. What an awesome combination!

Full length films have 90+ minutes to tell a story. Can you imagine the challenge of telling one in 6 minutes and then telling it well? The creators of The Blue Umbrella definitely make it look so easy. The short is about a blue umbrella who meets the umbrella of his dreams. She’s red and has the cutest eyes! Blue goes for the flight of his life and loses sight of his new love… do they meet up at the end? I won’t say, but this film is pretty, clever and absolutely charming. I still can’t believe that the film was animated and not live action!

I met with Director Saschka Unseld and he talked about his love of rain and the story behind The Blue Umbrella. Unseld grew up in Hamburg, Germany where it rained “a lot”. One rainy day he noticed and photographed an umbrella lying on the side of the street. That simple moment was the inspiration behind the film. He goes on to say, “It’s about someone who loves the rain so much. It’s a love declaration to the rain, and it should be a love story. It is a love story between two umbrellas.” Unseld is definitely passionate about rain, “And for me, it’s a beautiful moment, just kind of a rain drop hitting the asphalt, hitting the mailbox, making a different sound. And somehow, for me, it feels very personally important to me, just this, the beauty of a rain drop hitting the ground.”

Saschka Unseld talks about The Blue Umbrella at a Pixar conference. Photo courtesy of Pixar/Disney

I can totally relate to him. I grew up in Boston where rain happened at any given moment. Now, I live in Southern California where we can go months and months without any rain. Rain is cleansing, cooling and soothing (for me anyways). As strange it sounds, I actually miss opening and holding an umbrella!

The Blue umbrella is charming, musical and impressive. Visually it’s amazing as you watch the city comes alive and watch as a romance emerges from a busy street corner. Get to the theater early to watch The Blue Umbrella with Monsters University on June 21st!

Here’s a picture of my blue umbrella where in California we are shielding ourselves from the sun. =)

– Tee

* I attended an all-expense paid press trip courtesy of Pixar/Disney. The review is in our own words and is our opinion.