In honor of The Walt Disney Company's 100th anniversary, Once Upon a Studio directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy brainstormed a simple, but effective story to help celebrate Disney's entire animated legacy.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Abraham and Correy revealed how the idea for a massive Disney crossover special came together while the former was working on the studio's upcoming film Wish. "We just knew that Wish was going to be more about the future and celebrate themes that Disney has touched on over the years, but it wasn't going to have any of the legacy characters or celebrate the past 100 years," Abraham pointed out, while Correy worried Disney would just release a montage video to commemorate its centennial. The duo then spent eight months thinking up their story during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Correy recalling, "We would get in our separate cars, go through the drive-thru of Taco Bell, park in the parking lot next to each other, roll our windows down, and talk about what this short could be and what we, as Disney fans, would want to see."
Their final idea -- having Mickey Mouse and a century's worth of Disney characters gather outside the Roy E. Disney Animation Building for a photo -- struck a chord with people. "It really captured, to me, how Disney's a part of all of us," Disney chief creative officer Jennifer Lee said, adding, "It's something we share, and that sharing brings a lot of joy and a lot of connection." Abraham also spoke about positive reactions to Once Upon a Studio from fellow animators, stating, "We had people coming up to us daily and sending us emails and texts: 'These characters mean so much to me. Even if I work on it for a weekend, I have to be part of this.'"
Along with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald Duck, Once Upon a Studio featured cameos from across all Disney eras, from the classic 1940s-50s productions to the Disney Renaissance movies to modern 3D films like Frozen and Moana. It also featured multiple voice cameos by the characters' longtime voice actors, with Disney even receiving permission from Robbin Williams' estate to use outtake recordings of him as Aladdin's Genie. Additionally, the short featured a live-action cameo by legendary Disney animator Burny Mattinson, who passed away in February and was honored in Once Upon a Studio's credits.
Alongside Wish, future Disney animated projects include the upcoming Pixar films Elio and Inside Out 2. The studio is also working on its live-action Snow White remake -- an adaptation of Walt Disney's first feature-length animated film -- co-starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot.
Once Upon a Studio is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: EW