Short Review: Once Upon a Studio (2023)

*All reviews contain spoilers*

Disclaimer: This blog is purely recreational and not for profit. Any material, including images and/or video footage, is property of their respective companies, unless stated otherwise. The author claims no ownership of this material. The opinions expressed therein reflect those of the author and are not to be viewed as factual documentation. All screencaps are from YouTube (see references).

Cast –

Scott Adsit – Baymax

Tony Anselmo – Donald Duck

Jason Bateman – Nick Wilde

Kristen Bell – Anna

Jodi Benson – Ariel

Robby Benson – Beast

Ravi Cabot-Conyers – Antonio Madrigal

Griffen Campbell – Pinocchio

Auli’i Cravalho – Moana

Jim Cummings – Baloo and Winnie the Poo

Ariana DeBose – Asha

Chris Diamantopoulos – Mickey Mouse

Richard Epcar – Little John

Bill Farmer – Goofy and Pluto

Keith Ferguson – Prince Charming

Josh Gad – Olaf

Ginnifer Goodwin – Judy Hopps

Jonathan Groff – Kristoff

Jennifer Hale – Cinderella

Jess Harnell – Scuttle

Tom Hulce – Quasimodo

Jeremy Irons – Scar

Dwayne Johnson – Maui

Bob Joles – Cogsworth

Judy Kuhn – Pocahontas

Nathan Lane – Timon

Luke Lowe – Flounder

Idina Menzel – Elsa

Jim Meskimen – Eeyore and Merlin

Piotr Michael – Iago

Mandy Moore – Rapunzel

Paige O’Hara – Belle

Raymond S. Persi – Flash

Ian R’Mante – Thumper

Burny Mattinson – himself

John C. Reilly – Wreck-It Ralph

Phoenix Reisser – Mowgli

Kaitlyn Robrock – Minnie Mouse

Anika Noni Rose – Tiana

Lea Salonga – Mulan

Lee Slobotkin – Peter Pan

Natalie Babbitt Taylor – Snow White

Josh Robert Thompson – Grumpy

Kelly Marie Tran – Raya

Alan Tudyk – the Mad Hatter

Scott Weinger – Aladdin

Richard White – Gaston

Harland Williams – Carl

Renika Williams – college intern

Daniel Wolfe – Robin Hood

James Woods – Hades

Archival recordings:

Stan Alexander – Flower

Stephen J. Anderson – Bowler Hat Guy

Awkwafina – Sisu

Bill Baucom – Trusty

Peter Behn – Thumper

Eric Blore – Mr. Toad

Charlie Callas – Elliott

Pat Carroll – Ursula

Bobby Driscoll – Peter Pan

Cliff Edwards – Jiminy Cricket

Verna Felton – Flora

Santino Fontana – Hans

Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Jim Hawkins

Robert Guillaume – Rafiki

Sterling Holloway – the Cheshire Cat, Kaa, and Winnie the Pooh

Billy Joel – Dodger

Charles Judels – Stromboli

Barbara Luddy – Merryweather

James MacDonald – Jaq and Gus

Bob Newhart – Bernard

Clarence Nash – Donald Duck

Adam Ryen – Cody

Chris Sanders – Stitch

Sarah Silverman – Vanellope von Schweetz

David Spade – Kuzco

Mark Walton – Rhino

Frank Welker – Abu and Joanna

Robin Williams – the Genie

Michael-Leon Wooley – Louis

Alan Young – Scrooge McDuck

Sources of Inspiration – The entire Disney canon!

Release Dates –

June 11^th, 2023 at Annecy in France

October 15^th, 2023 in the USA (premiere)

October 16^th, 2023 in the USA (general release)

December 24^th, 2023 on YouTube (wide release)

Run-time – 9 minutes

Directors – Dan Abraham and Trent Correy

Composers – Dave Metzger

Accolades – 1 nomination (so far)

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2023 in History

Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral in the Vatican City is attended by roughly 50,000 people

Cyclone Freddy becomes the longest-lasting tropical cyclone in history, causing over 1,400 deaths across the Indian Ocean

Turkey and Syria are devastated by an enormous earthquake, leaving 59,000 dead and 121,000 injured

The European Parliament approves a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the European Union from 2035

Silicon Valley Bank in the USA fails, later followed by First Republic Bank, sparking a financial crisis affecting companies around the world

The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights

World Athletics, the global governing body for athletics, bans trans women who have gone through male puberty from competing in female events

Nuclear power is fully phased out in Germany after 50 years

SpaceX’s Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time in a test flight from Texas, but explodes four minutes after launch

The World Health Organization ends its declaration of COVID-19 being a global health emergency

The coronation of Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is held in Westminster Abbey, London

Scientists report the creation of the first synthetic human embryo from stem cells, without the need for sperm or egg cells

All five crew members of Titan, a deep-sea submersible exploring the wreck of the Titanic, are killed following a catastrophic implosion of the vessel

 SAG-AFTRA announces it will begin a strike against the major film and TV studios in protest of low compensation, ownership of work, and generative AI

The films Barbie and Oppenheimer open, while being paired as a major internet and cultural event, Barbenheimer

Wildfires devastate parts of Canada, Hawaii and Greece in one of the hottest years on record

India’s Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to land near the south pole of the Moon

Archaeologists in Zambia find the world’s oldest wooden structure, dating back 476,000 years

The 2023 Israel-Hamas War begins in October

Hurricane Otis becomes the strongest to make landfall in Mexico

The Beatles release Now and Then, the band’s last ever song

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announces her abdication after 52 years on the throne

The global population passes 8 billion for the first time, with India overtaking China as the most populous country

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Hello everyone, and welcome to another review! This month, I decided to do something a little different – for the first time in three whole years, I’m going to be doing a Short Review. The time certainly flies! In a somewhat surprising (but much appreciated) move, Walt Disney Feature Animation have put their centenary celebration, Once Upon a Studio, on YouTube, so I thought it would be the ideal piece to return to the format with.

Directors Trent Correy and Dan Abraham are relative newcomers at the studio, with Correy having started on the training program in 2012. The two of them have collaborated on the direction of a project once before: the similarly named Once Upon a Snowman, a Frozen tie-in from 2020 (I think I’ve seen it, but I’m not sure). This new piece, though, was an original idea intended as a “love letter” to classic Disney animation, and a “thank you to anyone in the audience that’s ever connected with a film over the last hundred years”. Preparing it in time for Disney’s centenary in October 2023, the pair worked on the idea in their free time for about eight months, coming up with all manner of situations in which they could bring together the studio’s iconic characters, before successfully pitching it to Jennifer Lee in late 2021.

Such crossovers have happened many times before in the studio’s history, of course, most famously in the ambitious 1988 feature Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which brought together characters from across the entire Golden Age of Animation. Then there was House of Mouse, the short-lived but beloved series from 2001-2003 which expanded the cast to include just about every Disney character in existence up to that point, even the villains (regrettably, I have still not seen this). And who could forget the end of The Lion King 1½ (2004), with its excellent use of silhouettes to get the gang together in the theatre for one last gag? There have been a few projects that fell by the wayside, too, like the potentially amazing Princess Academy from 2009, which would have been an Alan Menken musical directed by Oliver Ciappa and David Kawena that would feature all of Disney’s female characters interacting with each other (I’m devastated that this didn’t come to fruition!). The closest we got to that was the princess crossover part of Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

Once Upon a Studio more than earns its place among such contemporaries, with most fans seemingly agreeing it to be a far more worthy celebration of the studio’s hundredth anniversary than the disappointing Wish was. After being crushed to find it wasn’t playing in theatres, I finally got to see it with an old friend (she has Disney+), and I’m so thankful to Disney for releasing it on YouTube in time for Christmas. Now that I can watch it – and screencap it – to my heart’s content, I’d like to take a moment to celebrate this celebration with you.

Characters and Vocal Performances

The characters and their interactions are what make this short so special, so rather than trying to sort main characters from supporting ones, I’ll just go through the featured ones in order. It kind of goes without saying when looking back across a one-hundred-year legacy, but guys – there are a lot of characters in this nine-minute short. 543, to be exact! Therefore, I’m not about to sit and list every last one. All fans need to know is that the lead characters from every single one of the studio’s 62 canon features are included, along with a number of supporting characters, villains, characters from various shorts, and a handful from some of Disney’s other notable films with animation, such as The Reluctant Dragon (1941), Mary Poppins (1964), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), and Pete’s Dragon (1977).

Before the animated characters come to life, we get to spend a moment with Disney Legend Burny Mattinson, who is in conversation with a young college intern (played by actress Renika Williams) as the staff leave for the night. The 87-year-old artist was the longest-serving employee in the studio’s history, then nearing his seventieth anniversary at Disney, so it was a lovely tribute to have him open the short with a member of the next generation. Mattinson had started in the traffic department, delivering mail (including to Walt’s office) as a fresh-faced 18-year-old, before quickly moving on to inbetweening on Lady and the Tramp (1955). He progressed from there into animation, being mentored by several of the Nine Old Men, before eventually enrolling in the studio’s training program in the 1970s. The pinnacle of his Disney career came in the form of the 1983 short Mickey’s Christmas Carol, which he wrote, directed and produced, but he continued to contribute in the story department for decades afterwards, even on films as recent as Strange World and Wish.

Named an official Disney Legend in 2008, Mattinson became one of the last employees to have worked at the studio in Walt’s time, so his conversation with the intern in this short feels like a passing of the torch to the next generation. He personifies a time in the studio’s past which has long since faded away, making wistful viewers long to hear the walls talk, just as he does. With his passing a few months before the film’s release in February 2023, this last appearance makes a fitting ode to his impressive career and is sure to have fans teary-eyed, even before the animation begins.

Mattinson and the intern are the last ones to leave (preceded by the directors themselves, who you can see holding the doors for them), turning the floor over to the most iconic Disney creation of all…

Who else could possibly host a celebration of Disney animation? It had to be Mickey Mouse, voiced here by Chris Diamantopoulos, who is organising a group photo with his “colleagues” to commemorate the big anniversary. He and Minnie are first seen at the centre of a collection of photos from the studio’s history (I can see Tyrus Wong, Mary Blair and Floyd Norman, among others), shown in their outfits from the 1942 short Mickey’s Birthday Party. Mickey summons Tinker Bell, herself a Disney icon, to ensure the live-action staff have all left. With the coast clear, he and Minnie leap from their portrait into the real world, where they get to work summoning their friends. Hold on to your hats, folks, because heeere we go!

Once Minnie gives the signal, she first awakens Tiana, who pops out of her picture and briefly converses with Pinocchio. They are soon joined by an excited Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, who is nearly crushed by Louis the alligator bursting out of the bayou scene. We then see Mickey calling to Bambi, Thumper and Flower (in their younger incarnations), who yell “Wake up, wake up!” to Orville, Bernard and Bianca. As those three come crashing out into the hallway in Orville’s usual clumsy style, they slide past Minnie escorting Bolt, Mittens and Rhino; as Peter Pan shoots by, Minnie asks him to get the folks upstairs, which he promptly does, followed by Wendy, John and Michael Darling.

Upstairs, we see Sisu gleefully bounding past the Disney trophy cabinet, just as Jim Hawkins flies by on his solar surfer (what a treat to see him again!). Maui erupts from a picture and calls out that they’re meeting in the lobby – making his own way down in eagle form – so Aladdin and Abu come sliding down the stairs, but stumble on the trolls from Frozen. Vanellope tears up the hall in her race car, with Dodger as a passenger – fabulous combination of animation styles, there – and then Elliott from Pete’s Dragon flies past the rappelling elf duo Wayne and Lanny, holding Cody from The Rescuers Down Under.

In one of the short’s best sections, Moana is then dumped unceremoniously in the foyer by the ocean, shortly followed by Flounder, sending her into a panic as she rushes to find water for him. She dashes to a nearby refreshment kiosk and begs the help of Merlin, who is manning it; he obliges by filling the top hat of the Mad Hatter, which Moana deposits the relieved fish into just as a penguin waiter from Mary Poppins waddles by. The March Hare, Lucille Krunklehorn, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Chip can also be seen gathered at the kiosk – you have to keep your eyes peeled for some of these cameos, they go by quickly!

Elsewhere, Anna and Elsa cautiously make their way around a furious Stromboli, who is attacking a recalcitrant vending machine. The sight of him makes Anna wonder aloud whether all of the villains will be attending the photo session, but as Elsa notices Hans preparing to jump out of a nearby picture, she mutters “Not all!” and freezes him in place (if you pay attention, though, he does manage to get out in time to attend).

Down the hall, Donald Duck is about to head downstairs in the elevator, accompanied by J. Audubon Woodlore, Humphrey the Bear, Mother Gothel, Carl the Robot, and Terk – however, Flash is… ahem… “hurrying” to join them, so the impatient duck is obliged to wait. This does nothing to cool his infamous temper!

Then comes another of the short’s standout scenes, in which some of the most popular comic relief characters appear together. Olaf is seen working at an animation desk, as Timon and Pumbaa saunter by urging him to “shake a leg”, to which Olaf responds that it’s “all in the wrist”. And which character is he summoning with his pencil? Why, none other than the Genie, a favourite of many millennial childhoods, whose lines are taken from archival recordings from the original production of Aladdin – with the permission, I’m pleased to add, of Williams’ estate. There is also another, more obscure nod to Williams with the brief appearance of his Lost Boy character from the 1989 short Back to Never Land, which park fans may remember from the old attraction “Magic of Disney Animation” from Disney’s Hollywood Studios (this closed in 2003, so sadly I never saw it).

Next, we have a short scene in the men’s bathroom, where another gaggle of characters are primping themselves for the photo. What a natural spot this was for Gaston to appear, with his smug delivery of “Every guy here’d love to be you, Gaston!” leaving me in stitches. His preening is interrupted by the Cheshire Cat, with his manic grin, just before Minnie peeks in (ever the lady, she keeps her eyes covered) to hurry them along.

There are some especially juicy cameos from some underrated characters in this scene, including Prince John, Thomas O’Malley, Milo Thatch, Chicken Little, the Headless Horseman (of all people to put in front of a mirror), and even Happy, whose voice actor Otis Harlan was the earliest-born person in the whole canon.

As the crowds continue to make their way outside, Christopher Robin, Kanga and Eeyore can be seen tugging on poor Winnie the Pooh, who has become wedged in his picture frame. Antonio Madrigal passes by, surrounded by animals as you would expect (Meeko, Cri-Kee, Pua and Pascal are among them), and warns Joanna not to eat Gus and Jaq (the goanna is promptly scared off by an angry Pluto). Nearby, Rat, Mole, Angus MacBadger, Ryder, Honeymaren, Sven and Kristoff pass by some of the Dalmatian puppies watching the Night on Bald Mountain segment of Fantasia (1940), with Kristoff gently warning them about nightmares. (Apparently, the directors very much wanted to include Chernabog, but couldn’t decide how to fit him into the building, ultimately settling on having him appear on TV.) Of course, the puppies don’t listen and are scared out of their wits by the demon, scurrying down the hall and accidentally running over Scrooge McDuck just as he leaves his picture. Robin Hood and Little John are only too happy to scoop up the money bags he drops!

We then return to long-suffering Donald, still stuck in the elevator, as Flash finally arrives and thanks him in his distinctive, monosyllabic way. Donald cringes in irritation with every word, but his trademark angry gibberish is soon muffled by Baymax, who innocently waddles up and crams himself in just as the doors are closing.

At the staircase, a haughty Ursula is being pursued by a lovestruck Splat from Strange World in a clever anatomical joke, and as they pass, Cinderella and Prince Charming make their way down from the upper floors. In a reversal of the old trope, it is Charming who loses his shoe, which is quickly stolen by the playful Max; Charming even calls to Eric to “Get your dog!” while Cinderella can be heard cheering the pup on. I love these little moments of interplay, creating relationships between the characters – it makes me long to see a whole feature like this!

Just as Mickey appears at the top of the stairs, he spots the mischievous Kaa attempting to entrance Clarabelle Cow, but Rapunzel assures him she has it under control, giving the snake a firm whack with her trusty frying pan off-screen. With this little drama resolved, we then lead into one of the short’s most touching moments.

Across the hall, Mickey catches sight of a large portrait of the man who started it all: Walt Disney. As the gentle notes of Feed the Birds play in the background, the little mouse takes a moment to pay homage to his creator – his “father”, if you will – and thanks him for everything with a sincerity that actually chokes me up a bit. These kinds of emotional moments were once thought impossible for the medium, until Walt came along and proved that animation could evoke genuine feelings in audiences. It’s a small but poignant acknowledgement of the modern studio’s debt to its founder, and the centrepiece of this celebration of his legacy. However, Mickey cannot linger for long, as he needs to supervise the photo – the big moment has arrived.

Mickey hitches a lift from Dumbo, who flies him down past a long queue of characters including Madame Medusa, Goob/Bowler Hat Guy, Kronk, Searcher, Meridian and Ethan Clade, Clara Cluck, Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet, Madam Mim, Flynn Rider, Maximus, and Pete (who is the oldest Disney character in continuous use, having debuted in a different form way back in 1925). Raya confirms the coast is clear and opens the door for them, with Wreck-It Ralph the first to walk out – or try to – and Scar coming just behind him. Mr. Toad cuts off the sarcastic lion’s quip as he rockets through the doors on the Magic Carpet, and Ichabod is then nearly decapitated (again) by Goofy as the loveable oaf attempts to set up a ladder for the shoot.

Trusty and Jock get into position, with the older dog going on about Ol’ Reliable in his usual way, while Flora sneakily attempts to make the famous Sorcerer’s Hat that crowns the animation building pink – an annoyed Merryweather quickly changes it back to blue. One of my favourite moments in the short is when Mickey graciously makes way for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who in 1927 preceded the mouse in the Disney canon before Universal took control of him. Having regained the rights to Oswald in 2006, Disney have been featuring him here and there since 2010, and I love that he was included here, being the only character to appear in black-and-white. Of course, such notability means nothing to the grouchy Kuzco, who demands the rabbit respect his personal space.

(In the background of this shot, you can see Ben Franklin, Philoctetes, Luisa Madrigal – who is carrying Rutt, Tuke, Maggie, Grace and Mrs. Caloway, among others – Pacha, Bruno, Hathi and Winifred, Drizella and Anastasia, Hook and Smee, and the Three Little Pigs.)

The time has come, but everyone is nervous as Goofy takes the camera from Rafiki. Perched atop the enormous ladder, he struggles to remain balanced as a disdainful Jafar and Iago look on (at least Tarzan, Jane, Casey and Clarabelle look more sympathetic) and, sure enough, comes toppling down with his signature yell, leaving the camera in pieces. Stitch wanders over and begins chewing on the wreckage, until Lilo – who looks so done, it’s hilarious – comes to retrieve him. Grumpy is the first to give up on the whole thing, while Eeyore gloomily suggests they try again in another hundred years. Dejected, we see Friar Tuck, Scrooge, Arthur, King Leonidas, the Big Bad Wolf, Calhoun, Alma, Isabela, Jasmine, Daisy Duck, Koda and Kenai, Clawhauser, Kida, Fred, Honey Lemon, Go Go, Wasabi and Hero turn to head back inside, while Mickey tries to rally their spirits.

Just then, we hear the opening bars of the company’s anthem, When You Wish Upon a Star, floating down from above. It’s Alan-a-Dale, strumming the number on his guitar. As the mood shifts, Scat Cat joins in on his trumpet, followed by Mirabel on the accordion and Hathi Jr. using his trunk, while Johnny Appleseed and Taffyta look on. Mickey and Minnie smile fondly at each other as their friends whip up a little Disney magic, with Belle and Beast coming in for the chorus as the Queen of Hearts, Wilbur and Lewis, Pecos Bill and Widowmaker, Penny, Aurora and Philip, Cruella and John Henry watch appreciatively (Hades is predictably dismissive of the schmaltz).

(Much as I love the animation in this short, it must be said that this is not one of the best shots; everyone behind Hades looks distinctly off-model)

One of my favourites, Quasimodo, then takes a line (Tom Hulce came out of retirement especially to sing this, I love it), followed by Pocahontas, who is singing to Edgar, Agustín and Julieta, Mama Odie, Flit, Tod and Copper, Gurgi, Basil, Dawson and Olivia, Dumbo and Timothy, Thomas, Duchess, Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz, Boun and Tong. Ariel, stood with Eric, then takes a turn, but is interrupted by Scuttle, much to the annoyance of Nessie, Jaeger and Dolores; the moment is saved by Baloo, who silences the seagull and finishes the line with his pal Mowgli. Sebastian provides some lovely accompaniment on the Golden Harp, while Lady and Tramp smile dreamily beside him.

Everybody comes together to solve the camera problem for Goofy, with the magic brooms from Fantasia sweeping up the mess and Fix-It Felix Jr. hopping over to get it back in working order. Hercules stands the ladder back up, the Fairy Godmother provides a little pixie dust to lift the Goof back up into position, and Goofy himself sets the timer.

In yet another special moment, we then see Snow White – the very first Disney princess – singing another line of the song, joining hands with Mulan, a representation of the midpoint of Disney history from the renaissance, and Asha, Disney’s newest heroine from the then-upcoming Wish. As disappointing as that film may have been, this was still a nice touch, linking the girls across the decades – and I especially liked the inclusion of Eilonwy (with Taran and Hen Wen) and Maid Marian (with Robin) in the background, as the two of them are literal princesses who were never included in the official line-up. It also made me giggle to see Baymax used as the backdrop for this part, with his white expanse of belly helping the girls to stand out.

Winnie the Pooh, standing at the girls’ feet, chimes in for the next line, before being bounced by Tigger. Lumiere, Fifi, and the White Rabbit watch, and you can see Pepa and Félix’s feet, too.

Naturally, you can’t finish this song without Jiminy Cricket, as it belonged to him long before it was repurposed as the Disney theme. So, to close this beautiful short, we get a final shot of Jiminy perched in Mickey’s hand, sweetly singing the song’s final line, before the camera slowly pulls out and up to take in the full panorama of characters, all of them joining in for “… your dreams come true,” as the camera takes the perfect shot. (As proof that truly no film was overlooked, you can even see Aladar – star of the much-maligned Dinosaur – standing at the back with his lemur family, the largest protagonist they ever had.)

Animation

This ambitious short employed a combination of computer animation, live-action footage and – oh my god – HAND-DRAWN ANIMATION. Yes, unbelievable as it sounds in 2023, this Disney short is roughly eighty percent hand-drawn! That fact alone has me jumping for joy – finally, a return to the medium that they were built from! Eric Goldberg led the hand-drawn unit, which also included such luminaries as Mark Henn, Randy Haycock, Alex Kuperschmidt, Bert Klein, James Baxter, Ruben Aquino, Tony Bancroft, Nik Ranieri, and Will Finn. Some of these men hadn’t worked at Disney in years, but came back to contribute to this, with some of them getting to return to characters they themselves drew for the original films. Even more exciting, hand-drawn apprentices were also apparently hired to work on the short, with everybody aiming to replicate each film’s original art style as closely as possible. Goldberg sought out artists who could work in both hand-drawn and CGI, such as Tyler Pacana and Anthony DeRosa, allowing them to animate characters in both styles within the same scene, but there was also a dedicated CG unit for the newer characters, which was led by Andrew Feliciano.

Trent Correy and Dan Abraham are evidently champions of the classic style, as they insisted that the hand-drawn work actually be done with real ink and paper, much to the delight of Goldberg. Once the hand-drawn artwork was completed by Goldberg’s team, the individual frames would be printed out and passed along to Feliciano’s animators, who carefully matched the CG characters’ movements to their hand-drawn scene partners. Goldberg himself handled some of the short’s standout scenes, including the one of Mickey addressing Walt’s portrait (which interested him due to its emotional tone) and, of course, the Genie’s appearance, this being one of his own most famous characters. He also took over characters originally drawn by Ward Kimball, such as Jiminy and the Cheshire Cat, Kimball being one of the last of Disney’s Nine Old Men before his passing in 2002 (Frank and Ollie were the only ones to outlive him).

Eric Goldberg

With the march of technology, some of the rigs for the older CG characters had become too outdated to use, with all the characters from before Tangled (2010) needing to be rebuilt from scratch so that they could be rendered with modern computers. Goldberg and Feliciano’s teams worked closely together to decide whether a particular scene would be led by a hand-drawn or CG character, after which they would decide which ones should be animated first. Feliciano had been a fan of Goldberg’s work on Aladdin (1992) since childhood, so it was a great honour to work with him on this piece. Many of the props that would be interacted with by the characters were modelled in CG, including the vending machine being shaken by Stromboli and Goofy’s camera and ladder, with animator Tyler Pacana using a technique dubbed “2D puppetry” to help rig the final shot outside the studio.

Plot

There isn’t really a great deal of “plot” to speak of, as the idea behind the short is very simple. Set at the end of the workday on October 16^th, 2023, Once Upon a Studio shows us the vast catalogue of Disney characters taking a group photo on the hundredth anniversary of the company, which was founded by Walt and his older brother Roy on October 16^th, 1923. That’s it.

The fun in the writing comes from the many specific character interactions devised by the directors, many of which are just perfect for the personalities selected. They had plenty of ideas, so many that some had to be rejected along the way; for instance, at one point, the other studio artists suggested they include a room full of characters voiced by Alan Tudyk, since he has become known for appearing in every Disney film since Wreck-It Ralph (2012). While this did not happen, Tudyk was able to participate by voicing the Mad Hatter in one scene; he based his King Candy voice on the character for his first Disney role.

However, the ideas that did remain in the film are more than enough. For instance, in one of the first scenes, we see Tiana talking to Pinocchio; the whole “wishing upon a star” theme that became such a staple of Disney stories was introduced in his film, before being brought back as a central plot point in hers. Tiana, though, discovered that wishing was not enough and had to earn her dream with some good old fashioned hard work – something she has in common with Judy Hopps, who also appears in the scene.

I also liked the way they grouped characters according to themes, such as flight (Orville, Peter Pan, Sisu, Jim Hawkins, Maui, and Elliott), or by having Moana interact with Flounder, or Merlin serving tea with Mrs. Potts. The crossover of Timon, Pumbaa, Olaf and Genie, some of the most popular comic relief characters in the canon, was inspired, as was the scene in the men’s bathroom, where each of the characters’ presence there made perfect sense, either due to vanity (Gaston, Prince John, O’Malley) or insecurity (Milo, Chicken Little, the freaking Headless Horseman). As for Happy and the Cheshire Cat, I suppose they were just checking their famous smiles?

Elsewhere, the pairing of Ursula and Splat was unexpected but so perfect, and I liked Rapunzel rescuing Clarabelle from Kaa, a strong modern Disney heroine contrasting with the more helpless damsel in distress of yesteryear. Even some of the smaller moments, like having Ichabod Crane of all people nearly losing his head to Goofy’s ladder, or the Three Good Fairies arguing over the colour of the Sorcerer’s Hat, demonstrated the depths of the directors’ love for the classics.

The absolute best of these cross-film interactions come in the final preparations for the photo, with the appearance of Oswald, the most pessimistic characters like Grumpy and Eeyore giving up, the musical characters like Alan-a-Dale, Scat Cat and Mirabel starting the song, and the helpful characters like the brooms, Felix, Hercules and the Fairy Godmother coming to Goofy’s aid. Then you get to the princesses uniting for the chorus and I’m just a mess. Great work, Disney. Great work.

Cinematography

The key figures behind Once Upon a Studio’s cinematography included John Hasbrook, who was the director of layout, Daniel Rice, who directed lighting, and Paul A. Felix and Ryan Lang, who handled production design. It can’t have been easy to coordinate such a vast wealth of different art styles; after all, each character would have to be drawn as close to their original style as possible, whether that be the rich oil-painted style of the Golden Age, the scratchy pencil style of the Dark Age, the digital-assisted clean lines of the Renaissance, or the modern fluidity of the twenty-first century.

Yet somehow, Disney’s finest make it look nearly seamless, expertly adapting the lighting, shading and textures to suit the shot. The short takes place partly in late afternoon sun, but indoor scenes are shot under different levels of artificial lighting, from the dim light of Olaf’s animation room to the fluorescent lights of the hallways. The artists needed to adapt the characters’ skin tones, reflections and shadows to realistically fit the environment they were standing in, which you can see best in certain sections like the elevator scene, or the parts shot near the doors, particularly the line of characters waiting on the stairs and any part involving Goofy’s struggles with the camera.

As if this wasn’t complicated enough, there are some inventive camera moves in the film’s cinematography, which surely made it a challenge to capture the characters’ movements – the storyboards must have been essential on this one. One that stood out to me was the long continuous shot (or at least, it looks continuous) which begins with Minnie and the Bolt cast, follows Peter and friends up the stairs, moves down the hall with Sisu, Jim and Maui, crosses the room to track Aladdin, Vanellope and Dodger, swoops up towards the ceiling with Elliott and Cody, and ends with a thud as Moana and Flounder land in the foyer. It’s 50 straight seconds of non-stop animated action, a tour-de-force combining characters spanning 68 years of Disney history – years which just so happen to overlap with Burny Mattinson’s time at the studio.

What I wouldn’t give for an art book about this short!

Soundtrack

In keeping with the theme of honouring Disney’s legacy, composer Dave Metzger filled his score with nods to the many beloved scores, themes and leitmotifs that came before him. Metzger, incidentally, has been working with Disney since the 1990s, and with Mark Mancina he notably co-arranged and orchestrated the version of When You Wish Upon a Star used for the new Disney logo introduced in 2006. Speaking of that 1940 hit, it was the perfect choice to unite the generations of Disney characters for the film’s big finale, with Metzger selecting some of the canon’s most musical ones to perform it. That close shot of Jiminy, the company mascot, in the hand of Mickey, the company icon, crooning the final words in his original Bing Crosby voice is enough to tug on the heartstrings of any fan.

It was great to see just how many of the original actors they were able to get back to perform this, too: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Tom Hulce, Judy Kuhn, Jodi Benson, Lea Salonga… just beautiful.

The part of the score that has everybody talking, however, is a small, easily overlooked tune that plays quietly in the scene where Mickey is looking at Walt’s portrait. As he walks over, you can hear the notes of Feed the Birds from the 1964 musical Mary Poppins playing. This is significant, as not only was this one of the last big hits of Walt’s lifetime, but that particular song was said to be his favourite produced by the studio. Written by long-time Disney collaborators the Sherman Brothers, Walt would apparently request them to play it for him in his office sometimes, after a long day, with the song capturing the true essence of Disney magic – at least for him.

When Trent Correy and Dan Abraham were preparing the film, they discussed the idea of including this song in the film with executive music producer Matt Walker, who suggested they call in the 94-year-old Richard M. Sherman – the only surviving brother – to play a new rendition of the song especially for the scene. Sherman agreed and, on August 22^nd, 2022, he played the piece on the same piano he and his brother Robert used to use to perform it for Walt, right there in his old office. A moving moment indeed, and undoubtedly a precious memory for the team who worked on this.

Elsewhere in the score, the featured references aimed to remind viewers of specific characters’ debut appearances, including Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia (1940), You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! from Peter Pan (1953), Trust in Me from The Jungle Book (1967), Gaston from Beauty and the Beast (1991), Friend Like Me from Aladdin (1992), and Let It Go from Frozen (2013).

Final Verdict –

Once Upon a Studio made a triumphant debut at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the summer of 2023, before its first public showing on ABC on October 15^th (which just so happened to be the day of my first ever visit to the Magic Kingdom in Florida). It then hit Disney+ on the 16^th to mark the exact date of the anniversary (and my first visit to Epcot – what a trip), before eventually being released to YouTube for all to enjoy on Christmas Eve, the perfect gift for Disney fans across the world. In addition to the thank you for audiences that was included at the end of the short, it was also dedicated to the memory of Burny Mattinson, who passed away eight months before its release.

Originally, there had been tentative plans to release it alongside Wish, which would be the studio’s theatrical feature for the year, but ultimately it was decided to make it more “accessible” by sending it straight to streaming. (Newsflash, Disney – some old-fashioned types like me still prefer theatres!) To be fair, the short did get theatrically released in some territories, including Japan, where it enjoyed a December run, and it had a limited engagement with a re-release of Moana (2016). They also gave it a one-week run at the El Capitan in LA in order to qualify it for submission to the Best Animated Short Film shortlist for the Academy Awards – it did make the list in December, but sadly failed to garner a nomination. Damn you, Oscars!

Still, who needs awards, right? Disney fans can recognise the quality of Once Upon a Studio, with or without them. I know many of us have lost faith in Disney of late, given their string of lacklustre releases and their increasing reliance on sequels and remakes, but this short gives me some hope that brighter things may be on the horizon. I don’t want to get too excited (after all, I’m well aware of the impending Moana 2, Zootopia 2, Frozen 3 and 4), but the presence of so much amazing hand-drawn artwork in this is solid proof that the medium is not completely dead at Disney, even if it has been relegated to the sidelines. Wish might not have been the return to form that we’d been expecting, but Once Upon a Studio makes up for it, the perfect tribute to an incredible legacy of artwork that has shaped countless childhoods for generations. More of this, please, Disney!

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this review. I really enjoyed this one, easily my favourite Disney product in years. I’d like to see what Trent and Dan could do with a feature, and who knows – perhaps this short’s success will be the gateway to future projects? It’s been great to return to a longer format for the first time in so many years, but next month I’ll be getting back to the book reviews, as it’s been a few months now since I’ve done one. Until next time, take care and staaay animated!

References

I consulted various web sources for this review:

By https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Studio, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74875838 – credit for Once Upon a Studio poster

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Eric_Goldberg – credit for Eric Goldberg image

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/celebrating-the-artistry-and-technology-behind-disney-animations-once-upon-a-studio/ – Disney’s write-up on the film

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Studio – Wiki page

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28035641/ – IMDB profile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB90me0aqSY – Disney’s official YouTube upload of the film, the source for all screencaps