One Man Band played theatrically attached to the beginning of Cars. If there is one way to start off a night at the theater on the right foot, it's to show a delightful short film prior to your main event.
Pixar's releases always seem to contain a little throwback like this. It is like a return to old days of cinema where you would get a newsreel, a cartoon, and a short before getting to the feature. I wish this would catch on with other studios. I would love to see a related short film attached to the big features. I am sure there are plenty of up and 
coming directors that could put together worthy short films on modest budgets to show off their abilities on a grander stage. Guys like Jay Holben, who has made some fine shorts. But I digress; this is about the wonderful Pixar short, One Man Band, if you forgot the title while I was rambling.
As the last trailer faded out, I think it was Santa Clause 3 (featuring music from The Nightmare Before Christmas, could that prove ironic?), the opening of One Man Band came up. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but those feelings left very quickly. The film won me over with its energy and charm.
The setting looks to be a fountain somewhere in Paris. Near the fountain stands a one man band, complete with drums and horns and all manner of noisemakers. He looks down sadly at his empty tin tip cup. At that moment, a small girl enters the fountain area and heads towards the water's edge, pulling out a shiny gold coin as she goes. This prompts the band man to start playing, excited at the prospect of a coin in his cup. The young girl is now torn between the man and the fountain. Enter another complication. A rival band man is across the other side of the fountain. He is bedecked with all manner of stringed instruments, and his playful performance draws the young girl's attention.
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1 - John
The movie is available for download from iTunes!