Partly Cloudy


Partly Cloudy is a Pixar CGI animated short film written and directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Kevin Reher. It was shown in theaters before Pixar's feature film Up and is a special feature on its DVD and Blu-ray release. It was included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2009.
In a CGSociety article, Sohn says his idea for the film came from watching Dumbo as a child: in the movie, a stork delivers Dumbo, leading a young Sohn to wonder where the birds got their babies from. His conclusion was that the babies came from clouds, hence flying animals being needed to deliver them.

Plot

Cheerful clouds in the sky make babies, such as human boys and girls, kittens, and puppies, and give them to storks for delivery to expectant parents. However, one lonely gray cloud named Gus has the task of creating animals that are harmful. His delivery stork, Peck, gets the worst of it, being bitten by a crocodile, butted by a bighorn sheep, and pricked by a porcupine. When Peck sees that his next delivery is a shark, he grows more than a little fearful and flies away.
Feeling rejected, despondent, and angry, Gus unleashes a brief thunderstorm, then starts crying with rain pouring from his underside. Peck, however, soon returns with a football helmet and shoulder pads, created for him by another cloud to keep him safe. Gus instantly cheers up and gives Peck an electric eel to deliver, which shocks him despite the protective equipment; this time, though, Peck remains in good spirits.