In “Geri’s Game,” Geri plays chess against himself.
The 1997 Pixar short takes place in a nearly empty park, where an elderly man named Geri sets up a chessboard and begins playing both sides. He moves from one side of the table to the other, changing his posture and personality as he alternates between the apparently timid and confident versions of himself.
The comedy comes from Geri’s exaggerated performance and his determination to make the match feel competitive. He eventually stages a dramatic victory by tricking his opponent into surrendering his dentures. The short has no conventional spoken dialogue, relying on movement, facial expression, sound effects and editing to tell the story.
“Geri’s Game” was directed by Jan Pinkava and became an important milestone for Pixar’s character animation. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 70th Academy Awards. The game is specifically chess rather than checkers, Go or backgammon: the recognizable board, alternating turns and pieces establish the match immediately. Chess also makes the visual joke work because one player is controlling both armies while pretending they are separate opponents.