As the Walt Disney Company celebrates its 100th Anniversary today, the legendary animators at Walt Disney Animation decided to show the magic in an animated short film, Once Upon a Studio. In the short, Mickey Mouse and friends round up 543 characters from Disney’s 100 year history, to take a group photo. Along the way, heartwarming moments are shared, hi-jinks ensue, and the true meaning of Disney is put on full display.

Once upon a Studio begins with the animators at Disney leaving the Roy E. Disney Animation building. The animators discuss how amazing it is that Walt created Disney Animation 100 years ago today, to which the animator says, “if only these walls could talk.” The Animation team leaves, and we pan over to an animation frame of Mickey and Minnie Mouse from 1942’s, “Mickey’s Birthday Party”, a very fitting animation. Mickey and Minnie jump out of the picture frame, and call on help from Tinker Bell to help all the characters out of their frames. We meet Princess Tiana with Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde in one hallway, as they make their way to the picture spot. Mickey then guides Bambi, Thumper, and Flower down the hallway as well. As more and more Disney characters appear, Minnie enlists the help of Peter Pan to travel upstairs and get more characters out. Aladdin and Abu slide down the staircase, as Maui makes a grand entrance. Sisu from Raya and the Last Dragon guides us down another hallway.

Moana then falls down from the ceiling in a jet of water, with Flounder landing in her hands. She quickly gets him to water, as we meet with Elsa and Anna. They are walking past several classic characters, as Anna is nervous about Hans coming to the picture. As Hans makes his way to the edge of the frame, Elsa freezes the picture, trapping him inside in a very funny moment. We then meet with none other than Donald Duck, as he gets in an elevator with a mismatched selection of Disney characters. On the walls aligning the elevator are pictures of classic Disney animators, like Ub Iwerks. Unfortunately for Donald, Flash the Sloth from Zootopia comes down the hallway at a snail’s pace, asking the Duck to hold. His rage building, Donald obliges. We then are met with the funniest scene in the film, as we see a bunch of cool dudes in the bathroom. Gaston flexes his arm in the mirror, as the Cheshire Cat pranks him. Minnie, coming into the bathroom with her eyes closed, tells the gents to get a move on. Olaf is drawing in an animating room, as Timon and Pumbaa encourage him to move along. Olaf summons the Genie, using archived voice clips of the late Robin Willaims, a move that I am so happy Disney made, with just a little bit of Disney Magic, anything is possible.

Christopher Robin attempts to help Winnie the Pooh out of his frame, as more and more characters enter the studio. Cinderella’s Mice appears on a table, about to be devoured by a Disney alligator, when Pluto bursts in, barks at the alligator, and begins happily panting with the saved mice. We then see more characters exit the building, as Kristoff and Sven peer over at the 101 Dalmatians watching Fantasia’s Night on Bald Mountain, featuring the monster, Chernabog. Kristoff warns the puppies about nightmares, when Chernabog peers his head out through the T.V., scaring the pups off. Scrooge McDuck bursts from his frame, and drops money bags as he is trampled by the puppies. His money bags are grabbed by Robin Hood and Little John, as they happily continue walking. Meanwhile, Flash the Sloth FINALLY reaches the elevator, much to the anger of Mr. Duck. Just when it can’t get crowded enough, Baymax enters, and Donald starts to yell. Ursula starts walking downstairs, as Cinderella and Prince Charming descend the stairwell. In an ironic twist of fate, Prince Charming’s shoe falls off this time, and right before Cinderella puts it on him, Eric’s dog Max from the Little Mermaid comes rushing through. Charming calls for Eric to get his dog, as Cinderella funnily encourages Max to keep running. Mickey then comes up the stairs, seeing the Jungle Book’s Kaa possessing Clarabelle Cow. Rapunzel then enters, telling Mickey not to worry, and hits the snake with her frying pan. Mickey is taken aback, but laughs. What follows this sequence is one of the most heart wrenching, heartwarming, beautiful moments of the short, and where I began to cry.

Mickey looks up, smiles, and takes off his hat, staring at a photo of Walt Disney. As Mickey walks up to the photo in the frame, Walt’s favorite song, Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins begins to play. For a die-hard Disney fan like myself, this fully cemented my love for this short. Minne calls Mickey, and he looks up one more time at the photo. He says he has to go, but he thanks Walt. He shrugs, and says, “on with the show.”  Mickey, now riding on the back of Dumbo, flies down the stairs and begins to finally get all the characters out of the building. Ralph from Wreck it Ralph accidentally walks face first into a door. When Mickey asks if he is ok, he salutes, saying “never better, Garfield.” Goofy then walks out carrying the ladder for the photo. Everyone starts to set up, as the Godmothers from Sleeping Beauty argue over the color of the Fantasia Hat on the Animation Building. Mickey then begins ushering everyone into position, telling everyone to get together. Then, in one of my favorite moments, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit walks into the frame, Mickey immediately moves aside, saying after you. Oswald takes off his ears and tips them to Mickey, as Goofy begins to set up for the shot. Goofy, being Goofy, falls off of the ladder with his iconic holler, and the camera shatters.

All the characters begin to leave, feeling very upset. Mickey tries to reassure them, to no avail. This is, until, the characters look up, and Allan-A-Dale from Robin Hood plays When you Wish upon a Star on his banjo. More and more characters get involved in the song, as Mickey smiles, and Minnie puts her hand on his shoulder. Belle begins to sing with Beast, as Ariel joins in as well. Hades is annoyed, knowing that this would happen. Pocahontas sings, as the entire cast of characters join into a chorus of amazing voices. The Broomsticks from Fantasia and Fix it Felix help fix Goofy’s camera, and the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella makes Goofy fly. Hercules holds his ladder. Goofy is able to get the camera to the top of the ladder, hitting the timer button. In a beautiful moment in this beautiful scene, Snow White holds hands with Mulan as she sings, and joins hands with Asha, the star of Disney’s new upcoming animated film to celebrate the 100th, Wish. The first Disney Princess and the Latest Disney Princess hold hands together. Pooh begins to sing, as Tiger jumps on him. Finally, Jiminy Cricket, the original vocalist of the song from 1940’s Pinocchio, using archived audio from the late Cliff Edwards, finishes the song. “When you wish upon a star…” he sings, as all of the characters present finish the song. All the characters finish the song together, by singing in harmony, “your dreams come true.” They all smile, and Tinker Bell flies up to the camera, using her wand, and the picture appears on the wall inside of the Animation Building. The film ends with this message. “To all who have imagined with us, laughed with us, and dreamed with us, Thank You.” The credits then roll to an orchestral version of Steamboat Willie’s song, as we see multiple characters in the credits. The film is dedicated to Disney Legend Burny Mattinson, for his 70 years of Legendary Storytelling at Disney Animation. The film finally wraps with the beautiful shot of the Disney100 Castle Logo.

I loved Once Upon a Studio. Inside of it, Disney truly showed who they are, and the magic that they create. This is my third article dedicated to Disney100 today, and although it was a lot of work, I would do it 100 times again. This Company means so much to me, and so much to billions of people around the world, and I hope it means something to you. I recommend Once Upon a Studio to everyone. Not just Disney Mega-fans like me, but truly, to anyone. It is able to be watched right now on Disney+. This short was the perfect love letter to what Disney stands for. In its first 100 years, and in its next. Disney was founded on the ideals that created America, Walt once said, and in this short, it showed that. I am so happy to have been able to see this film, and I truly thank Disney for it. All it takes is a little magic, and anything is possible. As the song goes, “When You Wish Upon a Star, Your Dreams Come True…”