This is an entry for “Pixar Shorts Court” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief.
Pixar Shorts Court is a recreation area at Pixar Place Hotel located on the rooftop deck near the hotel’s pool. The Pixar Shorts Court features games themed to Pixar short films including: a bean bag toss area themed to “Bao,” shuffle board courts reminiscent of La Luna, pavement mazes related to For the Birds and Burrow and chess sets in honor of Geri’s Game. Pixar theming is carried through the area lighting and decor with shade even being provide by umbrellas from The Blue Umbrella. A Pixar Place Hotel cast member facilitates rentals of the necessary game equipment to guests.
Thank you for reading this entry from our Disneyland 101 Glossary. We love the Pixar Shorts Court, and to find out why we love it, check-out 5 Reasons We Will Return to the Pixar Shorts Court. But for more practical information on the Pixar Shorts Court, keep reading for answers to frequently asked questions below.
Pixar Shorts Court at Disneyland Resort, FAQs
Where is the Pixar Shorts Court?
The Pixar Shorts Court is located on the recreation deck of the Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort.
The Pixar Place Hotel is a Disneyland Resort Hotel owned and operated by Disney, though the building itself previously housed a third-party hotel. Pixar Place Hotel is located on the west side of the Disneyland Resort property across Disneyland Drive from Disney California Adventure Park.
The recreation deck for Pixar Place Hotel is called a “rooftop deck” because it is on top of part of the hotel, but guest room towers also rise far above the east side of the deck. The recreation deck is on the third floor and hosts a pool, waterslide and splash pad on the south end of the deck. On its north side is the snack bar, called Small Bytes, surrounded by seating including some seats under lanais and others clustered around fire pits themed to “hot headed” Pixar characters. In the northeast corner of the deck is the Pixar Shorts Court.
Can you explain the theme of the Pixar Shorts Court? Why is it called that?
Pixar Shorts Court is a small part of the larger Pixar Place Hotel, and the hotel itself is themed to all things Pixar. Throughout the hotel, you will see representations of various stages of the creative process at Pixar Animation. You might see sketches, maquettes or characters taking new and special forms like Crush from Finding Nemo perching on top of a water slide. You can read more about our affection for this hotel here: 5 Awesome Elements of Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland
The Pixar Shorts Court is part of the hotel that particularly honors Pixar animated short films. The games and decor around the Pixar Shorts Court are themed to these shorts. Sometimes the theme is pretty overt with artwork and descriptions on signs. In other places, there are simply objects ready to catch the notice of a perceptive Pixar fan.
It is pretty cool to see these Pixar shorts honored in a fun play area. This is a neat area for guests who have been touched by these shorts works of art to connect with them in a new way. At the Pixar Shorts Court, we noticed references to Bao, Burrow, For the Birds, Geri’s Game and La Luna. Elsewhere on the Pixar Place Hotel rectreation deck we encountered Lava and The Blue Umbrella.
If you are not familiar with these Pixar shorts, you can try watching them on Disney+. Sometimes they also come packaged with DVD or Blu-Ray copies of Pixar films.
What can I do at the Pixar Shorts Court?
Offerings at Disneyland Resort are always growing and changing, so you may encounter something different at the Pixar Shorts Court on your visit. Still, here are activities we have enjoyed:
Bao Toss
Our favorite game is the Bao toss game, which pays tribute to the 2018 Pixar shot Bao. To play, share your name and hotel room number with the cast member attendant at the Pixar Shorts Court. This allow you to borrow some adorable dumpling bean bags. Then, try your hand at tossing those bao bags into the tiered “steamer baskets” at the Pixar Shorts Court.
You can play this game with teammates or against another player. Two pairs of steamer baskets are placed across from each other at the Pixar Shorts Court.
La Luna Shuffleboard
We also adore the shuffleboard courts themed to the 2012 Pixar short La Luna. This is the kind of outdoor shuffleboard you find on concrete pool decks, at parks or on cruise ships and not the table top kind. To borrow the equipment you need for La Luna shuffleboard, you will give your name and room number to the cast member attendant.
We love the sweet theming on this game, and it is made ever more delightful by the strings of star-shaped lights at the Pixar Shorts Court. The one issue with this game is that the cues (those pusher sticks) can be overly long and unwieldy for small children. That is why our little ones liked that they can also borrow…
Building Blocks and Chess Sets
We mentioned that you speak to the attendant cast member to borrow the equipment you need to play Bao toss and La Luna shuffleboard. You can also borrow other items for play.
We are not quite sure where Duplo-style building blocks fit into the Pixar shorts world, but our kids appreciated that they could ask a cast member for a box and go find a shady place to enjoy them on the Pixar Short Court. Certainly, colorful and creative play seems in keeping with the overall Pixar theme.
More firmly connected to Pixar shorts are the chess sets you can borrow to follow the lead of the Geri’s Game, the 1997 Pixar short.
Pavement Mazes & Pixar Turf
Finally, for some quick fun that requires no equipment, you can follow the painted pavement mazes themed to 2001’s For the Birds and 2020’s Burrow. Our kids also appreciate the patch of turf emblazoned with the iconic Pixar ball. That space has inspired many a carthweel.
Where can I get the equipment I need to play the Pixar Shorts Court games?
Some of the games at the Pixar Shorts Court require no special equipment. For others, you will need particular play items like bean bags or shuffleboard cues. To borrow these, speak to the cast member attendant at the Pixar Shorts Court. You should find this person stationed under an umbrella nearby. If you cannot find this person, check the operating hours for the Pixar Short Court.
The cast member on duty will ask you for your name and hotel room number Share these in exchange for the equipment and be sure to return it when you are done playing.
What else can I do at or near the Pixar Shorts Court?
The Pixar Shorts Court is part of the larger recreation deck located on the third floor of the Pixar Place Hotel. When you are done shuffling stars or tossing bao, you have plenty of other options for recreation.
You can visit the pool area which has a pool, hot tub, splash pad and water slide all themed to the world of Finding Nemo. You can grab a snack or beverage at Small Bytes and enjoy it on some lovely themed seating. We like that there are lanai-covered seats for sunny days and other seats clustered around (delightfully themed) fire pits for cold days. (Also keep your eyes open for a Blue Umbrella reference.) On nights when there are fireworks at Disneyland Park, you can even watch them from the recreation deck while the soundtrack plays over the hotel speakers.
Thanks for reading this post on the Pixar Shorts Court from our Disneyland 101 Glossary.
For more entries featuring Disney definitions under 101 words, please explore Disneyland 101 Glossary. And for more on the Pixar Place Hotel, be sure to see our 5 Awesome Elements of Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland, 5 Vibrant Tips for Your Pixar Place Hotel Stay, 5 Reasons We Love the Pixar Place Hotel Guest Rooms, A Deep Dive Into the Pixar Place Hotel Pool and of course 5 Reasons We Will Return to the Pixar Shorts Court. Thanks again for reading!