As Disney Animation celebrates its centennial, the studio released the trailer for its nostalgia Once upon a time there was a studioan animated short that the filmmakers describe as a love letter to the studio, its artists and fans.
During a press preview on Thursday, chief creative officer Jennifer Lee recalled the Zoom meeting in which writer-directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy pitched the story. ‘I couldn’t talk. I was so emotional,” she said, while Abraham added: “I will never forget that pitch. She made us cry from the start.”
It opens with a live-action shot in the lobby of Disney’s animation building, as a young employee talks to Disney legend Burny Mattinson, who joined the studio as a teenager in 1953 and stayed until his death this year.
Then a picture hanging on the wall with Mickey Mouse comes to life. The studio’s famous mouse is then joined by a long list of characters from Disney’s animated films, including hand-drawn characters from films like 101 dalmatiers And Beauty and the beast to computer animated films such as Zootopia And Encanto. Wish’Protagonist Asha, voiced by Ariana DeBose, also appears as the character gathers for an anniversary portrait.
In total, approximately 40 voice actors returned for the project, including Paige O’Hara (Beauty and the Beast’‘s Belle), Dwayne Johnson (Moana’s Maui) and Josh Gad (Frozen’s Olaf). The filmmakers reported that the animation is completely new, but that they have incorporated archive sound from, among others, Cliff Edwards, the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Disney’s 1940 animated classic. Pinocchio.
New voice actors also joined the production for additional classic characters, but underscoring the current climate, the filmmakers were applauded when Correy claimed “no AI” was used.
Once upon a time there was a studio premieres October 15 on ABC and also plays in theaters Wishwhich opens on November 22.
