Il était une fois un studio

Growing up back in the 90's, I've been very fond of Disney especially in terms of animation. Many of their films I consider to be good/great (The Lion King being one of them considering it was during my childhood) even if some aren't quite my favorites. But when I heard that the studio was releasing an 100 anniversary short, I became very happy and watched it on Disney+ today. To my surprise, it filled me with complete nostalgia.

Not only was it hilarious and cute, but it's also a great loving tribute to the studio and Walt Disney himself. The way it blends both 2D hand drawn and 3D CG animation, it's reuse of old archive dialogue while creating new ones, the way it incorporates other characters from other Disney films (including the ones from particular flops like The Black Cauldron), and the new rendition of When You Wish Upon A Star that's sung very well.

Overall, this will go down as one of my favorite shorts in Disney history. If you love Disney animation certainly check this one out and you'll have the same nostalgia as I did.

This short exceeded my expectations! It was truly a love letter to Disney's animated films! Seeing so many characters interact, both old and new, was a treat! Hearing some of these characters' original voice actors/actresses reprise their roles was also very enjoyable! Two moments in particular made this short way more emotional than I thought it would be, but I won't give it away. I will say that by the end of the short, I was left in tears. This short also proves that Disney can still pull off 2D animation, and I really wish they'd start making 2D animated movies again.

For any Disney lover, this is a must watch!

I'm so overwhelmed with emotions as I write this review just after watching this short. What a beautiful way to pay to tribute to Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney in general. Seeing all the characters from Snow White to Asha holding hands and singing together, interacting with one another and by the time the short ends I was moved to tears. Every frame contains Nostalgia and all those beautiful memories we had watching these beloved characters on screen. The fact that most of the original voice actors came back to record their respective lines is so amazing. It's just one BIG happy family which makes everyone smile and create sweet memories that are going to be cherished forever. Thank you so much Walt Disney for such a precious gift.

That's all I have to say about Once Upon a Studio. This is not just a short but nostalgia and emotions all coming together to create a beautiful 9 minutes tribute. If you're a Disney fan then you'll definitely cry watching it.

I always say we get angry and hate on Disney, because we care most of the higher do not, but this short feels like it was the real people of Disney paying a love letter to the company and Walt himself I'm obsessed with Disney the OG real Disney and this brought me to tears, all the animated characters and many of the OG voices and taking a group picture being funny and charming in the real world it all just worked for me and especially Mickey seeing Walt, it all just works, I can't believe he's been gone for 57 years and I desperately wish he could still be here, it's very tear inducing, it was perfect 10/10.

If you heard me describe this short in a sentence, you would probably dismiss it as another nostalgia-bait production where a giant corporation all but brags about how many IPs and characters they own. But as a commenter on Letterboxd pointed out: there is a major difference between "Look at all the things we own" and "Look at all the things we made". This here is very much the latter.

Once Upon A Studio, a Disney+ short film commemorating 100 years of Disney animation and featuring 500+ characters from across the Animated Canon (voiced by returning stars and some archive recordings, approved by the estates of all parties involved), is one of the most touching and genuine things we've seen from this company in some time. This isn't just a series of namedrops and fanservice moments; it is a sincere celebration of the creativity, artistry, storytelling, and magic of Disney that has, on some level, meant something to everyone on the planet, be it the new generation of Frozen fans, us Disney Renaissance kiddos, or my late grandfather who would often recount how his first visit to a "flicker show" was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 and how it scared the pants off him.

Great care has been taken to include as many characters as possible -- including ones from such oft-ignored pictures as Dinosaur, Atlantis, and The Black Cauldron -- and mix the different animation styles in a mostly seamless way (the 2D animation is the real deal this time, thank Christ). We all know the issues with Disney, but it's hard not to be moved by this one, especially (in my case) when we get to Jiminy Cricket's portion of the "When You Wish Upon A Star" ensemble, still using the same Cliff Edwards recording that my fellow Swedes and I have heard on every Christmas Eve since 1960.

Of course, there are still some things that won't sit quite right with everyone. The part where Mickey says a few words to a portrait of Walt Disney should probably also -- or solely -- feature Ub Iwerks. Another issue is the fact that, despite how well this short film turned out, we're probably not getting a House of Mouse reboot.

Stray observations and neat details: In the group photo at the end of the short, Peter Pan is together with Pete's Dragon. The two different Rescuers kiddos are hanging out. Mickey Mouse says "after you" to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, as he should.