What Pixar short film was shown before Ratatouille in theaters? Lifted was shown before Ratatouille during its theatrical run.
Lifted is a Pixar computer-animated short about an inexperienced young extraterrestrial attempting to abduct a sleeping human. An older alien supervises the attempt like an examiner conducting a driving test, turning the kidnapping exercise into a comic practical exam.
The short was directed by Gary Rydstrom and released in 2006, before Ratatouille reached theaters in 2007. Its visual comedy depends heavily on timing, facial reactions, and the increasingly chaotic control panel, rather than spoken dialogue; the short contains no dialogue.
Viewers sometimes confuse Lifted with other Pixar shorts because theatrical pairings changed from film to film. Presto, for example, accompanied WALL-E in 2008, while For the Birds and Boundin’ were paired with earlier Pixar features. Lifted was also included as a bonus feature on Ratatouille’s home-video release, which helped preserve its association with the film.