Geri's Game is a five-minute animated short film made by Pixar in 1997, written and directed by Jan Pinkava. It was the first Pixar Short created after Toy Story, the previous short being Knick Knack in 1989.
This film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1998.
The first Pixar production to have a human main character, Geri's Game was produced with the goal to "take human and cloth animation to new heights".
The face of the character "Geri" resembles actor Jonathan Harris, who also provided the voice of Geri for his later appearance in Toy Story 2. In Toy Story 2, Geri is a toy repairman who fixes Woody's torn arm. Chess pieces can be seen in his carrying case, in a nod to the short.
The film's director, Jan Pinkava, says the character is loosely based on himself and his elderly relatives, particularly his grandfather who played chess very often.
