Geri's Game

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Geri from Geri's Game

Geri's Game is a 4 minute long 1997 animated short film made by Pixar. It was written and directed by Jan Pinkava. It was the first Pixar Short created after the creation of Toy Story, the last short being Knick Knack back in 1989. The film won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

1 Plot
2 Trivia
3 Goofs
4 Technology
5 Cameos
6 Awards
7 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film is set in an empty park during autumn. The senile title character, Geri (voiced by Bob Peterson), plays a game of chess against himself, 'becoming' each of the players in turn by moving to the other side of the chessboard and taking his glasses on and off. As the game progresses, it seems as though there are two people playing. The non-glasses Geri appears to be on the edge of victory, with the glasses Geri having only his king left. Glasses Geri outsmarts Non-Glasses Geri by distracting him and turning the board around, meaning that now Non-Glasses Geri has only his king left. Glasses Geri wins and Non-Glasses Geri gives him his false teeth. The viewer is thence reminded that there is only one Geri.

[edit] Trivia

The face of the character "Geri" resembles Jonathan Harris, who played Dr. Zachary Smith in "Lost in Space." Harris also provided the voice of Geri for his Toy Story 2 cameo. Geri also quite strongly resembles the actor David Kelly [1] [2]. The film's author Jan Pinkava has been quoted as saying the character is loosely based on himself, and his elderly relative(s), particularly his grandfather. It is a kind of future-self caricature. See the interview here [3] and other interviews.
The wooden cigar box containing the chess pieces is marked "Pt. Richmond Hand Made Pixar Shorts". The Pixar Animation Studios was located at Point Richmond, California at the time of the short's production.
Attached to the theatrical and video releases of A Bug's Life.
If you follow the way the shadows move during the daylong game, the sun is moving right to left away from the camera, so the view must be facing north.
There is one shot where (intentionally) Geri briefly coexists with his alter-ego. Non-Glasses Geri's hand is in the foreground of the shot, which shows Glasses Geri in full view.

[edit] Goofs

The box holding the chess pieces falls to the ground but disappears in the closing shot.
Non-Glasses Geri (black) moves a bishop illegally, two squares horizontally to capture a pawn
The last move Glasses Geri makes is redundant. The queen he moves to put the king in checkmate is already placing Non-glasses Geri King in check.

[edit] Technology

Pixar produced the film with the goal of exploring improved techniques in the rendering of humans and clothing, including the use of subdivision surfaces.

[edit] Cameos

Geri later had a cameo appearance in Toy Story 2 as the toy cleaner who works on Woody; inside the box of his cleaning kit, viewers can see a collection of chess pieces. He was voiced by Jonathan Harris.