Once Upon a Studio

Mark Baker started his review by saying, “Being the Disney fan that I am, I was excited when I started hearing about the short Once Upon a Studio.  It sounded like it would be a great tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Disney studio.  I made sure to watch it when it premiered on the TV, and I’ve watched it again on Disney+.  Needless to say, I love it.”

The premise to this 2023 short is simple. In honor of the 100^th anniversary of the studio, all the Disney characters are getting together for a group picture. This includes all the protagonists, antagonists, sidekicks, characters from the shorts, and movies. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are organizing it.

That’s the plot. Baker said, “I mean, it’s less than ten minutes long.” Most of the short is watching the characters gather and what complications they face along the way. For Disney fans, this is just a joy. They’ve got characters interacting who have never interacted before as far as fans would tell. They’ve got some great jokes and they’ve got tender moments too. Baker noted, “No, I didn’t cry like some did, but I was definitely moved at the tribute to Walt and hearing “When You Wish Upon a Star.””

They also combined the animation styles, so characters look like they originally did. That means there are hand drawn and computer animation together. Baker pointed out, “They two mix seamlessly, and I love the look.”

This is just a Disney project. If you are looking for Pixar characters, Star Wars, or Marvel, you won’t see them here. (The one exception is BayMax from “Big Hero 6,” which as a Disney animation film with Marvel characters.)

There are so many characters it’s hard to take everything in. some of them only have small cameos. Baker admitted, “Even watching it a couple of times, I know I’ve missed stuff.”

As much as possible, they used the original voice actors. Sometimes, that means they used archival recordings. Baker noted, “Yes, I can usually tell (because I recognize a line), but I don’t care.  Naturally, there are times they’ve used the newer voice actors as well.  I wouldn’t know any better.  (And yes, that is Robin Williams voicing the Genie with approval from his estate.)”

Baker continued, “The other things this does is make me want to watch the classic Disney movies all over again.  They really have released some magical stories, haven’t they?”

“Once Upon a Studio” is at once a celebration of Disney’s history and a thank you to the fans, and it works as both. If you love Disney, you need to watch this short.

This was released on Disney+ last October and seeing how it is about 10 minutes long, you can sit through this no problem. If you want to see all of your Disney characters come together and take a group photo outside Disney Studios, then make it your mission to see this short. You will love it, I promise you.

Tomorrow I will be looking at another Disney film that was meant to celebrate their 100^th anniversary, but didn’t work, in “Disney Month 2024.”