'Smash and Grab' did sound very cute, which is in no way a bad thing for Pixar. Pixar actually does cute very well, as when they do it it's adorable and affecting and doesn't become over-sentimentalised. There was the worry that it would be too simple, as it is not something that sounds particularly original or complex. Pixar though are one of the best animation companies to exist and have made few misfires but there was definitely hope.

Am not going to say that 'Smash and Grab' is one of Pixar's best, because it isn't. Of the recently seen Pixar short films, it is one of the weaker ones (only because the best of them are so brilliant) and the previous short films watched before this one ('Out', 'Loop' and 'Wind') had more depth and emotional impact (especially 'Loop'). 'Smash and Grab' is still a very pleasant watch and is very good in quality. It just didn't quite wow me.

It is formulaic and very slight, so there is an over-stretched feel occasionally and not much to be surprised by.

Other Pixar shorts have more complexity and emotional range.

Despite how that sounds, there are many fine things about 'Smash and Grab'. As to be expected with Pixar and nearly always lived up to (the character designs in 'The Good Dinosaur' being the exception),the animation is beautifully done. Particularly the atmospheric colours and sweeping exterior shots. Not to mention the rich attention to background detail. The music fits ideally and pleasant to listen to, the standout part being "Showdown Robot Bromance".

The story is not a special one, but it is very charming and while the poignancy is a lot stronger in other Pixar shorts the heart is definitely there to genuinely endearing effect. Also absolutely loved the message, a true to life and important one done with delicacy instead of being sledge-hammer like. The gentle humour amuses.

Not to mention the characters, they are so cute and 'Smash and Grab' does so well at allowing one to effortlessly root for them, feel empathy for them and make them likeable. Their chemistry is very sweet. Even though wordless, the characters and their chemistry tell so much anyway still.

Concluding, very good if not quite top-tier Pixar. 8/10.

"Smash and Grab" is an American animated short film from 2019, very new and fresh release from less than two weeks ago, and this is one of a handful Pixar short films that came out not too long ago and it is not the first one I watched from this mini-series you could call it. But sadly, Pixar is going quantity over quality here now. If you hear about animated sci-fi films about robots, you immediately think of the Pixar classic Wall-E, but the connection between that one and this one here is minimal. There is one scene where the background and setting seemed slightly similar and that is it. This film here has one problem that seems to be pretty common with Pixar these days. While the animation is good (not great, but good),it comes completely short in terms of the emotion that has always been a huge strength that made the difference between Pixar and the rest. There is a reason why they are not guaranteed Bestg Animated Movie Oscar winners anymore. The director here is Brian Larsen, who has worked for the company for a long time now already, so I would not be too surprised if he at one point also directs an upcoming Pixar full feature film. But I really hope that one will be better than compared to this one here. Sure the interactions between the robots are okay and sometimes even mildly funny, but there is nothing in here that will have you at the edge of your seat, neither in terms of comedy, not in terms of the story, even if the characters felt somewhat right and also ready for something longer, at least a 22-minute television special, not in terms of animation either, even if this is maybe the film's biggest strength. But this also means it is somewhat style over substance. If you want to watch it, then you won't need subtitles because there is no spoken dialogue. But why would you. I thought this was very mediocre and I am sure there will be many superior animated short films coming out. I give it a thumbs-down and hope Pixar can get back to their old strength as soon as possible, although I am not sure they will. Bao is not a revelation either despite all the awards recognition it receives. And a film like S&G would not have been released a decade ago by them. At least not the way it was released, maybe with improvements on several production values. Watch something else instead.

Before I get to the heart of this review, I should mention that I was not a huge fan of "Wall-E", the CGI movie from Pixar that came out over a decade ago. While the animation was lovely, the story seemed contrived. Here with "Smash and Grab" the story has many of the same problems...and felt even less satisfying even though the animation is amazing.

The story is set in a sci-fi future where there are sleek trains and floating cities. Inside one of the train are some robots that are tethered inside and made to work. When the two of them break out, they are pursued by robots determined to destroy them.

The story gets no deeper than this and the notion of me caring about non-sentient robots left me cold. I just didn't care about the story and felt the film was trying to manipulate me into caring...but I never did. Besides, if you think about it, the one robot probably killed an entire train filled with people...and I am supposed to be rooting for it?? Overall, a poor story with exquisite animation.