With the milestone 2021 release ofEncanto, Walt Disney Animation Studios celebrates its 60th full-length feature since 1937’sSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Disney studio itself has become synonymous with the very idea of the animated feature film for over 80 years, but well before the first Disney princess ever graced the screen, the studio produced humble cartoons and shorts that innovated the medium and served as the testing ground for new motion picture techniques. 1928’sSteamboat Williesaw not only the debut of the immortal Mickey Mouse, but the innovation of synchronized sound in animation. The Silly SymphonyFlowers and Treesbrought about the advent of color to the animated screen.
Along with making generation-defining classic films throughout the 20th century to today, the Disney Animation Studio continues to produce shorts as a means to test new animation technologies, tell smaller and more intimate stories than their cinematic blockbusters and even have fun. The 2010s saw the Disney style make its successful transition into the world of CG animation after a history of masterful hand-drawn craft and the shorts that came out of the studio’s revival era showed the learning curve the studio went through to digitally produce such films asMoanaandBig Hero 6.
From the monochrome streets of the big city to the valleys of Scotland, here is a ranking of the 11 Walt Disney Animation revival era shorts:
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11. Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
Initially planned to be an ABC television special,Olaf’s Frozen Adventure’s nearly half-hour runtime was planted in theaters in front of Pixar’sCoco, much to the delight of children and the chagrin of parents that have already seen enough of the popular snowman for one lifetime by 2017. Despite its overstood welcome on the silver screen,Olaf’s Frozen Adventureis aharmless holiday treatthat features the same stellar animation and hummable tunes associated with theFrozenname.
10. Tick Tock Tale
Tick Tock Taletells the story of a misfit novelty clock who is outcasted from a London shop by the more dignified resident grandfather clocks and watches. Much like most modern animated shorts, there is little to no dialogue as the animation carries the story, but what makesTick Tock Talestand out is how it conveys a tremendous personality from its mechanized cast. These clocks have no human-like faces or voices likeBeauty and the Beast’s Cogsworth but are given just as much life through clever sound design and expressive body language.
9. Tangled Ever After
Serving as an epilogue to 2010’sTangled,Tangled Ever Afterpits super-horse Maximus and Pascal the chameleon as ring-bearers for Rapunzel and Eugene’s royal wedding to ensure that everything goes perfectly to plan…which it does not. As the first Disney princess sidekicks of the CG era, Max and Pascal proved their mettle as effective comedic relief and royal support inTangled.Tangled Ever Afterputs the duo front and center in a full-force slapstick comedy of errors that cements them as Disney animation favorites.
8. Inner Workings
Inner Workingsfollows in the mold ofInside Outby showing the conflict that goes on inside the average person every day, but while the Pixar film tackles the emotions that guide our actions, the Disney short shows the battle between heart and mind, along with the rest of the body. Paul is a work-a-day paper-pusher who wants to live freely, but sticks to his humdrum status quo out of fear, as illustrated by his energetic heart and his ever-cautious brain. Much like Disney’s 1943 shortReason and Emotion,Inner Workingsshows that the key to happiness is a healthy balance of energetic passion and careful mindfulness.
7. Frozen Fever
Ice queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) ironically catches a cold in the midst of preparations for her sister Anna’s (Kristen Bell) birthday, resulting in ice-magic shenanigans and a not-quite perfect day.Frozen Feverwas the first follow-up to the 2013 mega-hit and operates as equal parts epilogue and extended music video for “Making Today a Perfect Day” from theFrozenteam ofKristen Anderson-LopezandRobert Lopez, which is as catchy a tune as any of the original film’s songs.Frozen Feveris a delightful bit of fan service and music that was only the beginning ofFrozen’s explosion into a massive franchise.
6. Us Again
The arts of animation and dance are more alike than one may think. Both can convey story and elicit feelings to the viewer out of the mere movement of their subjects. This marriage of expressive physicality comes to life inUs Again. The choreographer team ofMariandKeone Madridserved as the inspiration and animation reference for the story of two lovers who rekindle their youth through the magic of dancing. While no words are said, the subtleties of the choreography, in tandem with the detail of the animation, convey more than dialogue or even lyrics ever could.
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5. Far from the Tree
Currently in theaters in front ofEncanto,Far from the Treeis one of Disney’s most thematically bold shorts in years, both in design and story. The short follows a family of raccoons who leave the safety of their forest every day to look for food on the beach. A simple premise, but done with gripping tenderness to explore the effects of generational trauma and breaking a cycle of abuse. It is also a further demonstration of Disney’s melding of CG characters and environments rendered in a classically hand-drawn style.
The Ballad of Nessietells the story of how Scotland’s fabled Loch Ness Monster searched for a new home in the highland waters after being uprooted by an industrious golfer. The only fully-2D short of the revival era, Nessie’s art design harkens back to the style of silver age Disney artistMary Blairto capture the aesthetic of a classic storybook illustration, as well as the overtly cartoony-nature of wartime package film shorts likeBongoandJohnny Appleseed. The short also teaches a valuable lesson in the value of crying and expressing one’s sorrow as a means of growth.
3. Get a Horse!
The first new Mickey Mouse theatrical short in nearly 20 years, 2013’sGet a Horse!is a spectacle worthy of Disneyland itself. Mickey and friends bounce back and forth between the black-and-white cartoon world ofWalt Disney’s original shorts to the polished sleekness of the three-dimensional realm in a frantic battle for silver-screen supremacy. On top of the mind-bending interplay of CG and hand-drawn animation supervised byEric Goldberg, the short captures the original spirit of Mickey Mouse’s world and brings the company’s hallowed icon back to his playful roots.
They say you are what you eat, but in the case ofFeast, it is what your dog eats that reveals the real story. This short tells a young couple from the perspective of Winston, a proud pup who eats everything off the plate off of his human owner. Winston’s meals progress from the junk food of the bachelor life, to the diet-cleansing veggies of a blossoming relationship, and the cake of a child’s birthday party. Animated food is always a delectable visual wonder, butFeastincorporates the snacks into the story in a cleverly poignant way that positions the meals we eat as a mark on how we grow and change.
