Sunday, Disney opened Annecy Annual International Animation Festival with the premiere of its latest animated short Once Upon A Studio.
Directed by s Dan Abraham and Trent Correy (Once Upon A Snowman), the nine-minute short reportedly brings more than four hundred characters from Disney’s century-long history back to life.
Some who saw the film firsthand at the festival described it as “Night at the Museum with Disney characters.”
An ambitious combination of hand-drawn, CG and live-action characters, the short is said to be a “love letter to the medium, to Disney animation, and really a thank you to anyone in the audience that’s ever connected with a film over the last hundred years,” according to Abraham.
Those characters include Peter Pan, Moana, and even Zootopia’s (or Zootropolis, depending on your location) Flash. But it will also include a voice contribution from the late Robin Williams.
Josh Gad, who will unsurprisingly reprise his role as Disney’s contemporary mascot Olaf, confirmed via his Instagram that Williams’ voice will be heard in the short. The studio seemingly used older recordings to create new dialogue as the Genie from Aladdin.
While not confirmed, the short is expected to debut later this year theatrically before Wish.
Stay tuned for more details and updates regarding the short as they become available!
