One hundred years later, Disney is still able to bring the magic. Their newest short, currently streaming on Disney+, Once Upon a Studio, acts as a culminating love letter to everything the studio has built before while offering a glimpse of what it might hold for the future. Made in honor of The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary, the fifteen-minute short from Walt Disney Animation Studios shows off over 500 of its famous characters and even highlights some of its lesser-known classics. For Disney fans, young and old, the result is an emotional trip down memory lane that couldn’t help but make me laugh and cry. In short, the epitome of everything that made Disney—well, Disney.
The short starts with the classic Steamboat Willie whistle and wastes no time getting into the fun. The story takes place within the Walt Disney Animation Studios building and takes a page out of Toy Story by showing what happens behind closed doors when all the humans are out of the room. That’s when the fun really begins. Mickey and Minnie Mouse pop out of their framed pictures on the wall and start rallying everyone, and I do mean everyone, for a group photo to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company.
What follows is a joyous rush through the building, where we see our favorite characters, villains included, come to life once again. With over forty original voice actors returning to record new lines and Disney pulling from its archives to bring back the voices of those who have sadly passed away, it truly made me smile seeing all my favorites back on screen. From Peter Pan to Baymax to Anna and Elsa, Disney pulled out all the stops and seemingly left no character behind. From Snow White all the way up to Disney Animation’s newest character, Asha, from their upcoming film Wish, Once Upon a Studio truly covers a lot of ground—an impressive feat for its runtime. I’d love to have been a fly on the wall when the studio was deciding who to put where and for how long.
But one of the most fun parts of the short is seeing characters, new and old, interact with each other for the first time. We no doubt live in the era of multiverses and team-ups, and Once Upon a Studio is Disney cashing in on that trend to the max. We see Moana helping Flounder and talking with Merlin. We see Olaf talking with Timon and Pumbaa before a wonderful interaction with Genie. And there’s a clever scene with Anna and Elsa discussing the Disney villains that I won’t spoil. My biggest laugh came from Dash from Zootopia appearing and crossing paths with Donald Duck in the best of ways. These are just a sample of countless other scenes featuring character mashups that make the whole short truly sing.
Some cynics may point to all of this as nothing short of a cash grab highlighting Disney’s most valuable merchandise. However, watching the film with my family, I couldn’t help but notice everyone smiling at some point or another or cheering when their favorite character came on screen. And I’m not ashamed to admit I got a little teary-eyed at a particular scene featuring Mickey that I won’t spoil. So yes, it’s a fair statement that Disney banks hard on activating that nostalgia gene within its viewers and fans. But, after 100 years, can you blame them?
At the last shot in the short, I simply couldn’t help but feel happy. To me, that says it all. Disney is undoubtedly a more prominent company than it was 100 years ago, and yes, it’s a business (to put it lightly). But, at the end of the day, there’s always been something special about Disney and the wealth of stories it’s given us for generations now. And that something special can be found within this short as well. Maybe it’s that feeling of being a kid again. Or the belief that your dreams will come true. All I know is that by the time “When You Wish Upon a Star” came on near the end of the short, I still got goosebumps. It proved to me, without a doubt, that Disney still has a lot of magic left.
Once Upon a Studio is an absolute must-see for any Disney fan. It’s filled to the brim with iconic characters and knows exactly how to highlight each of their personalities that we know and love. It’s a short film filled with a ton of heart and, in this reviewer’s opinion, the purest intentions. It is a true celebration of 100 years of Disney that will make you laugh, smile, and, if you’re a bit of a sap like me, maybe even shed a tear or two. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to go binge-watch my favorite Disney films.
You can watch all the magic of Once Upon a Studio streaming now on Disney+.
