Disney brings back more than 500 cartoon characters for its 100th anniversary short film. Here's where you can watch it
Disney fans can soon relive their childhood as the animation giant has just released a new short film to celebrate its 100th anniversary, featuring 543 of their cartoon characters.
Titled Once Upon a Studio, the nine-minute film gathers 100 years’ worth of animated characters as it imagines them coming to life from the illustrations on the walls after all the studio's employees have gone home.
The company's mascot, Mickey Mouse, takes center stage in the short as he tries to assemble his fellow cartoons for one big group photo with assistance from Minnie. The scene then cuts to cameos from new and nostalgic characters alike.
Some of the recognizable faces you'll see include Disney princesses Tiana, Cinderella, Snow White, Mulan, Rapunzel, Moana, Belle, and more, Peter Pan, Wreck-it Ralph, Maui, Olaf, Genie, and Winnie the Pooh.
But the heroes aren't the only ones who get to be in the picture. Also in the mix are Disney's wicked villains, such as Ursula, Scar, Gaston, Jafar, and Hades, but they seemed to be on their best behavior—for now.
Eventually, all 543 characters give their best picture-perfect pose in front of the animation building as they sing Disney's signature song When You Wish Upon a Star.
Official group photo from ‘ONCE UPON A STUDIO’ 🔥
— Disney Animation Promos (@DisneyAPromos) October 16, 2023
(via @EW) pic.twitter.com/RVtgM0C9AW
To truly capture the essence of the characters, Once Upon a Studio employs a hybrid style of computer graphics, traditional animation, and live-action.
The team behind the short strived to bring back as many of the original voices as they could, including Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga, who provided the singing voice of Mulan. They also got permission from late comedian Robin Williams’ estate to use the Genie's voice from Aladdin.
You can already stream Once Upon a Studio on Disney+, but for those who don't have a subscription to the streaming service, you can still watch it on the big screen with Disney's upcoming film Wish when it premieres on Nov. 22.