Parents guideMovieByAge
FR|EN|
Sign in
← Back to movies
Once Upon a Studio

Once Upon a Studio

9m2023United States of America
AnimationFamilialFantastiqueComédie

Does this age rating seem accurate to you?

WatchlistWatchedFavourite

Detailed parental analysis

A Disney short film with a warm and festive atmosphere, tinged with a bittersweet emotion that moves both adults and children. The story brings together over five hundred Disney characters from all eras for a family photograph behind the studio scenes, marking the company's centenary. The film is designed for young children, but its true audience is family-oriented: parents who grew up with these characters experience an emotional intensity every bit as profound as their children's.

Underlying Values

The only sequence in this register is Goofy's comical fall from a ladder, resulting in broken equipment. The tone is that of classic slapstick, with no injury or pain depicted. Characters known for violence in their original films, such as certain Disney villains, appear here entirely disarmed and benevolent. The content raises no issues worth noting.

Violence

The only sequence in this register is Goofy's comical fall from a ladder, resulting in broken equipment. The tone is that of classic slapstick, with no injury or pain depicted. Characters known for violence in their original films, such as certain Disney villains, appear here entirely disarmed and benevolent. The content raises no issues worth noting.

Strengths

The film's genuine tour de force is orchestrating hundreds of characters belonging to radically different visual styles without the whole appearing chaotic. The art direction succeeds in making ink animation from the earliest days coexist with contemporary renderings in a single coherent space, which constitutes a rare and visually stimulating object for an attentive child. The use of archival audio recordings to restore voices to characters whose original actors have passed away is handled with care, and the result carries genuine emotional weight, free from easy manipulation. For an adult, the film also functions as a journey through the collective memory of several generations of animation cinema.

Age recommendation and discussion points

The film is suitable from age 4 for children familiar with Disney characters, and from age 3 with parental accompaniment. A good conversation after the film might explore recognition of the characters and their original universes, and then, for slightly older children, the idea that the villains in stories can also have a place in a shared project once they choose to be part of it.

Synopsis

Created for Disney's 100th anniversary, the short features Mickey Mouse corralling a gallery of legendary Disney characters for a group photo.

About this title

Format
Short film
Year
2023
Runtime
9m
Countries
United States of America
Original language
EN
Directed by
Trent Correy, Dan Abraham
Main cast
Chris Diamantopoulos, Kaitlyn Robrock, Tony Anselmo, Bill Farmer, Jim Cummings, Auliʻi Cravalho, Kristen Bell, Anika Noni Rose, Raymond S. Persi, Jim Meskimen
Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Content barometer

  • Violence
    0/5
    None
  • Fear
    0/5
    None
  • Sexuality
    0/5
    None
  • Language
    0/5
    None
  • Narrative complexity
    0/5
    Simple
  • Adult themes
    0/5
    None

Values conveyed