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Using Disney Pixar Shorts to Teach Students Literary Elements

At the end of the school year, I asked my students what their favorite part of English class was that year, and the overwhelming consensus was when we would watch Pixar shorts together as a class. We must have watched at least a dozen throughout both semesters, and they had become a favorite go-to activity for both teacher and student. Granted, I didn’t just let them watch these shorts simply because I love them (which I do), I would also use them a way to discuss literary elements!

Since each short is essentially a short story, I would use the films to discuss literary elements such as plot, characterization, theme, tone, and so on. Each week or so I would pick a new literary element for my classes to focus on and I would pick a Pixar short or two to go with it. We’d watch the short, discuss that week’s chosen literary element, and analyze how it affected the film. For example, I used “Geri’s Game” to discuss point of view, “Lifted” to talk about inference, “Bao” to discuss metaphor, and the list goes on. They loved these lessons and even the quietest students became engaged when that Disney Pixar promo music started.

These lessons are easy enough to make on your own, but if you are in a pinch or can’t think of one off the top of your head, you can do a Google search. There are tons of teachers who have done these types of lessons before.