As I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion, this year marks the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney Pictures, and to celebrate this epic milestone various Disney events have been taking place in 2023. Most notably are the various Disney movie re-releases which have been cropping up in cinemas (Beauty & the Beast, Sister Act, Dick Tracy etc), which you may or may not have checked out.
In addition to the above, Disney has also released a little something special, which you don’t need to catch in cinemas. This “little something special” is a brand-new part-live-action, part-animated short film, celebrating a whole century of Disney magic.
Titled Once Upon a Studio, the short arrives on Disney+ today and offers up a neat reminder of all the wild and wonderful characters who make up the Disney animation portfolio. Led by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Once Upon a Studio is crammed to the rafters with cameos from countless Disney icons ranging from Tinker Bell, Genie, Stitch, and Quasimodo, through to Elsa, Flounder, Tarzan, and Baloo.
Written & directed by Dan Abraham and Trent Correy, and running around eight minutes in length, Once Upon a Studio sees Mickey and his friends come to life in the Roy E. Disney Animation Building, to take part in a group photograph to commemorate 100 years of Disney magic. Each character pops out of their own wall-mounted photo, which line the interior of the building, before making their way to the lobby.
Along the way some of the characters interact, while others stop off for tea or check their appearance in the mirror. One or two of the heroines also find time to deal with some of the troublesome villains.
Once everyone is in the lobby they head outside and gather as one large group, as Goofy sets up the camera. However, before the picture can be taken, friends old and new join together in harmony to perform a legendary Disney song.
Short, sharp, but utterly delightful, Once Upon a Studio offers up a lovely reminder of how far Disney has come. Running from the days of Silly Symphony and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs through to The Black Cauldron, Big Hero 6, and Raya and the Last Dragon, all the different animation styles, quirky characters, and imaginative ideas are here, and it’s a joy to see.
The film may be brief, but it crams a lot into a small space, finding time to not only highlight all those wonderful animated faces, but also drop in some familiar voices too. There’s even a couple of musical nods for films such as Fantasia and Peter Pan.
And if that wasn’t enough, Donald Duck steals a scene (as only he can) during a frustrated elevator journey, while Mickey takes a moment to thank Walt Disney for helping to make everything possible. It’s little moments like these which bring the short together, and demonstrate these characters are more than paint and pixels – they are fully rounded works of art, who have been our best pals and an important part of our lives for decades.
Thanks to its simple yet effective presentation, Once Upon a Studio is a lovely slice of celebration cake. It looks good, has a sweet and sugary centre, and leaves you wanting a bit more.
But there’s no need for more, because the short is plenty. Very much like a celebration cake, it exists purely so we can all stop for a few moments to collectively take a breather and recognise a unique moment in time.
What Disney has delivered over the years, through a continually evolving animation studio, is something no one else has achieved. Once Upon a Studio is a reminder of all this and more, and if you consider yourself a Disney fan (no matter how big or small), find eight minutes in your day to give this film a watch.
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