Once Upon a Studio: A 100-Year Journey Explained

Once Upon a Studio: A 100 Year Journey Explained

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re discussing the production of this Disney short film, which encompasses over 500 characters from more than 85 features and shorts, as well as 100 years of magic.

Disney has a long history of crossovers, from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” to “House of Mouse,” to “Kingdom Hearts,” to “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” Yet, the studio has never taken on an endeavor quite like “Once Upon a Studio,” which looks to the past, present, and future as seamlessly as it blends 2D animation, 3D animation, and live-action. Dan Abraham and Trent Correy, who previously directed the “Frozen” short “Once Upon a Snowman,” began conceiving this crossover in 2021 amid the pandemic. The two met over Zoom and in separate cars at a Taco Bell parking lot, discussing ideas with Disney’s 100th anniversary in mind. Building upon Correy’s idea to have the Disneyland rides come alive, Abraham suggested the Disney studio as a setting instead.

Abraham and Correy spent eight months secretly developing the pitch for a short where the artwork lining Disney’s halls springs into reality. They had a breakthrough when Abraham texted Correy one night, suggesting that the characters unite for a group photo. Finally, the time came to pitch to CCO Jennifer Lee via Zoom. The duo knew that their efforts might not get any further than this meeting. Once the pitch was over, Lee exited the screen without a word. Returning to the screen, Lee wiped tears from her eyes, praising the tone and premise. Lee concluded, “I don’t know how, but we have to make this.” With Bradford Simonsen and Oscar winner Yvett Merino coming on as producers, production commenced on “Once Upon a Studio.”

The short naturally takes place at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building, which completed construction in 1994, but houses a legacy dating back to 1923. The short opens with an intern, played by actress Renika Williams, exiting the building with animation legend Burny Mattinson, who had been with Disney for 70 years. In addition to directing “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” Mattinson’s credits range from “Lady and the Tramp” to “Strange World.” From the get-go, the team knew that Burny had to be in this short. Mattinson shot his scene in August 2022, six months before he passed away at age 87. Wishing that the walls could talk, Mattinson’s dreams come true as we cut to a still of Mickey from the 1942 short, “Mickey’s Birthday Party.”

With Tinker Bell working her magic, the still images become animated. Unlike some past Disney crossovers, “Once Upon a Studio” was presented with the challenge of combining hand-drawn and computer-animated characters. With roughly 80% of the characters being hand-drawn, Disney turned to veteran animator Eric Goldberg. To achieve the authenticity of the glory days, the hand-drawn characters would be brought to life with ink and paper. In addition to Goldberg and Disney’s in-house talent, the short saw the return of studio alumni like James Baxter, Ruben Aquino, Tony Bancroft, Will Finn, and Nik Ranieri. Meanwhile, Andrew Feliciano headed the CG team, which had to rebuild character models for films made before “Tangled” like “Bolt,” “Meet the Robinsons,” “Chicken Little,” and “Dinosaur” to match modern technology.

The hand-drawn moments were mapped out first so that Feliciano’s team could sync them up with the CG scenes. Both teams worked closely to make 3D characters like Moana fluidly interact with 2D characters like Flounder against a live-action backdrop. In addition to Easter eggs like the Snuggly Duckling and Litwak’s Arcade, backgrounds are adorned with photos of Disney royalty such as Mary Blair, Floyd Norman, and Ub Iwerks. There’s even a photo of a young Burny Mattinson with mentor Eric Larson. Along with iconic Disney characters, the short revives lesser-known figures like Humphrey the Bear and J. Audubon Woodlore. Almost every Disney animated feature is represented, including “Tarzan,” which has presented copyright hurdles in recent years since Edgar Rice Burroughs’ estate owns the character.

The short also recruits characters from live-action hybrids like Elliot of “Pete’s Dragon” and the “Mary Poppins” penguins, although unsurprisingly, nobody from “Song of the South” appears. With the focus being Disney Animation Studios, the crew drew the line at characters who originated from Pixar, Disneytoon, or stop-motion films like “Nightmare Before Christmas.” Beyond who to include, the real question was how characters should interact. After Abraham pitched Donald Duck waiting in an elevator for Flash from “Zootopia,” it set a comedic tone that the crew came to recognize as a “North star.” Originally, the short amounted to 13 minutes of material, which was trimmed down to nine. Among the unused ideas was Ariel doing her hair in the restroom with a Dinglehopper by her side.

With Ariel initially having no dialogue, the directors realized they had to bring back voice talent like Jodi Benson. From Jeremy Irons as Scar to Idina Menzel as Elsa, a number of A-listers revisited their classic characters. Some roles had to be recast with Piotr Michael filling in for Gilbert Gottfried as Iago. Alan Tudyk as the Mad Hatter is a clever touch since he based his King Candy voice on Ed Wynn. Multiple methods were used for other characters with Jim Cummings supplying new dialogue for Winnie the Pooh while also using archival recordings of Sterling Holloway. A few characters completely relied on archival recordings, including Pat Carroll as Ursula, Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck, and Robin Williams as the Genie.

Never resorting to AI, Disney got permission from Williams’ estate to incorporate a Genie outtake. The filmmakers went through 16 hours of recordings before settling on a Genie line. The scene also finds Williams’ “Back to Neverland” caricature pass by Olaf, who sits atop a copy of Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston’s book, “The Illusion of Life.” Bursting out of the artwork, Genie knocks back Olaf before resembling him. A bittersweet pairing considering that William’s Genie inspired Josh Gad while voicing Olaf. According to technical supervisor Becca Thompson, this was one of the hardest scenes to pull off. Another challenging moment sees the Dalmatian puppies watching “Night on Bald Mountain” from “Fantasia.” Jorge Ruiz was responsible for animating Chernabog, who emerges from the TV screen.

The emotional highlight finds Mickey looking up at a photo of his alter ego, Walt Disney. It all started with a mouse, but even before Mickey, there was Walt’s vision. In addition to the Genie, Eric Goldberg personally animated the tear-jerking exchange between Walt and Mickey. Dave Metzger composed the short’s score, but for this sequence, the crew used a new recording of “Feed the Birds,” Walt’s favorite tune. At age 94, Richard Sherman returned to Walt’s Burbank office to play a rendition on the same piano from decades before. Mickey thanking Walt for setting the past century into motion may be the short’s most touching moment, although a close second sees Mickey make way for Oswald, who hopped so that the mouse could run.

The climatic photoshoot assembles everyone from Susie the Little Blue Coupe, to Pedro the Airplane from “Saludos Amigos,” to the skeletons from “The Skeleton Dance.” How else could it wrap up than with the whole cast singing “When You Wish Upon a Star?” In what may be a first, Paige O’Hara’s Belle sings with Robby Benson’s Beast. Another standout moment sees Snow White, the first Disney princess, sing alongside Disney’s latest heroine, Asha from “Wish.” This ties back into the opening exchange between Burny Mattinson and the intern, looking to the past, present, and future. Disney is rooted in nostalgia and innovation, which this love letter to the studio masterfully balances. Whatever the next 100 years bring, expect a mix of imagination, laughs, and dreams.

What’s your favorite “Once Upon a Studio” cameo? Are there any small details that we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!