Rej Bourdages and Tony Maki's 'Fruit & Nut' gives Pixar an indie streak
The artist short, made in Pixar's Lab, is billed as the untold story of 'the most famous duo of all time,' and commenters keep reaching for Adult Swim and Sausage Party to describe it.
PixarStory of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 168,451 views a day, 15 times a normal first day on this channel (11,451).
Pixar Artist Short Film: Fruit & Nut (Full Short Film)
Is this really Pixar? That is the thread running through the comments under "Pixar Artist Short Film: Fruit & Nut (Full Short Film)," and the studio's name on the channel is the only thing that seems to settle it for some viewers.
The short is directed by two Pixar artists, Rej Bourdages and Tony Maki, and was made in what the description calls Pixar's Lab. Its one-line pitch is cheeky: the untold story of the most famous duo of all time, which the title suggests is a piece of fruit and a nut. Beyond that the description keeps quiet, and so will we, since the ending is the part viewers seem least ready for.
What the comment section does say is that it feels like an indie film. People compare it to Adult Swim, to The Amazing World of Gumball, and to Sausage Party, the other food cartoon that comes to mind, though one popular comment calls this one the more grown-up of the two. Others are surprised the studio was bold enough to post something this loose. A few seconds in, at 0:26, a moment has replies piling up under the single word "Hopper." Perhaps a wink at Hoppers, the studio's March film, or at the grasshopper villain of A Bug's Life, which the channel has been clipping all week?
The audience came quickly. Twelve hours after going up, the short had passed 116,000 views, while a new Pixar upload usually ends its whole first day near 11,000. The teaser posted alongside it and Senior Historian Christine Freeman's look at an early Cars script are still in the low thousands.
Pixar has used this channel for artist-led experiments before: its SparkShorts program premiered Purl here in 2019. "Fruit & Nut" feels like a return to that spirit, and the comments suggest the timing suited a crowd that wanted something strange.
Published on Trari
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What viewers say
I’m shocked that Pixar was bold enough to upload a short as vibing as this
@JacKAB0YSee it on YouTubeLove these shorts from The Lab, keeps the small indie studio feeling alive
@harrisondrawscars3834See it on YouTubeI didn't expect that ending. 😂
@Just_a_teddy_bearSee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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- Channel
- Pixar
- Subscribers
- 9,110,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 5,510,207
- Channel views, pace per day
- 895,006 (on a normal day: 934,978)
- Video published
- October 2, 2026
- Video views so far
- 116,131 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 168,451
The numbers
A short film that did in half a day roughly ten times what a new Pixar upload usually does in a full one.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which Pixar short, about a steamed dumpling that comes to life, won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film?
Domee Shi's Bao, which played before Incredibles 2, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2019.
