June 17, 2016 – The Short Film Inner Workings Premieres at the Annecy Film Festival
“Do you follow your head or your heart?”
On June 17, 2016, the short film Inner Workings premiered at the Annecy Film Festival; it would eventually go on to be released alongside the animated feature film Moana. The short film looked at one man’s battle between his head and his heart, with his head wanting him to go to work, while his heart wants him to go to the beach. The short was directed by Leo Matsuda.
April 9, 1946 – The Educational Film Jet Propulsion is Delivered to General Electric
On April 9, 1946, the educational film Jet Propulsion was delivered to General Electric Company. Although World War II ended on September 2, 1945, Disney was still in dire straits, with very little capital after having spent time and money almost solely on the war effort. To supplement, the Disney Studios continued to create training films for various companies, such as the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, and General Motors. Jet Propulsion centered around the development of airplanes, starting with the history of their development to a breakdown of their various parts.
March 23, 1967 – The Special Cartoon Scrooge McDuck and Money is Released
“It’s gotta circulate, circulate, come out of the woods; stimulate, motivate, service and goods. It’s no nest egg to incubate, money’s got to circulate!”
On March 23, 1967, the special short film Scrooge McDuck and Money premiered. It was the first film appearance of the popular comic book character. It was written by Bill Berg, directed by Hamilton Luske, and featured veteran voice actor Bill Thompson as Scrooge McDuck.
The short begins with Scrooge in his vault, singing to his money. Huey, Dewey, and Louie watch on as he starts to embrace the coins, and they share with him their piggy bank, as they have saved up $1.95. Scrooge asks them what they plan on doing with the money, and they ask him to save it for them so they can be as rich as he. While he is willing to help them save, he tells them that they need to learn more about money itself. He begins with the history of money, starting with how Roman soldiers were paid with salt. They then see an old dubloon to learn about the history of “bits” before moving to Greek obals: coins so tiny they were carried in the mouth. Scrooge then explains that there was a time where money was nonexistent, and a musical number is used to explain how money came to be. The boys wonder why a few billion can’t be printed, which concerns Scrooge, as the term “billion” is thrown around so casually; if there isn’t anything to back up the money printed, then inflation occurs. Scrooge then explains to the boys about economics and budgeting, before going into income taxes. He convinces the boys to make a sound investment to get their money to work. He gets them to invest in his company, but doesn’t hesitate to charge them a “three-cent fee” for his advisement.
February 12, 2013 – The Pixar Short The Blue Umbrella Premieres at Berlin International Film Festival
On February 12, 2013, the Pixar short film The Blue Umbrella made its debut at the Berlin International Film Festival; it would later be released alongside with the animated feature film Monsters University. The short was written and directed by Saschka Unseld, and features a score by Jon Brion. The film is notable for not starting in the traditional manner of a story department, but in the camera and staging department.
The short begins on a day that quickly becomes rainy, and the citizens of the city quickly pull out their umbrellas as the rain falls rhythmically on a city that becomes alive. Out of a sea of black umbrellas, one bright blue one marvels at the rain, until he spies a red umbrella next to him. He can’t help but stare at her, and she looks back at him, the mutual attraction between the two palpable. The two stay close to each other for a while, but are quickly separated as their owners go separate ways. The blue umbrella, realizing he’s about to be put away, uses the wind to free himself and fly across the city, on the lookout for the red umbrella. Spying her, he makes his way over, but is swept into the highway by a passing bus. The city tries to help him, but unfortunately, he is hit by a car and left on the sidewalk. His owner eventually finds him and pulls him up, and he is also greeted by the red umbrella, whose owner stopped to help. The pair are seen enjoying time together as their owners talk over coffee.
February 3, 2014 – Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story Premieres at the El Capitan Theatre
“When you are born blank in a painted world, love can give you color.”
On February 3, 2014, the stop-motion short film Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The film would be released on the Google Play platform on February 10, and would continue to play at the El Capitan alongside a limited-time showing of Lady and the Tramp to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It was produced by Disney Interactive Entertainment, and was directed by Greg Shewchuk, Paul Foyder, Michael Ambs, Whitfield Scheidegger, and Regina Roy.
The short begins with the character Blank being released into the painted world, and soon spotting Bow, a similarly blank Vinyl. Bow gives Blank a bow tie, and the two watch the sunrise together, with Blank giving Bow a flower. The mood quickly changes when a strange creature arrives and takes Blank Minnie away on a train. Not wanting to lose his love, Blank Mickey hops on the top of the train as it rolls along, and sets off on an adventure to find her, making unlikely friendships, traveling through the woods at night, and doing whatever it takes to find her.
January 26, 1990 – The Educational Film The Brain and the Nervous System Think Science is Released
“Cerebrum here! Thinking, movement, judgement, problem solving, no problem!”
On January 26, 1990, the educational short film The Brain and the Nervous System Think Science was released as part of the Wonders of Life Series. The eleven-minute film teaches quickly about the functions of the main three parts of the brain. It was written by Jamie Simons and directed by Lina Shanklin, with animation directed by Bob Kurtz.
The film begins with a greeting by Captain Cortex in Cranium Command before he leads them on a tour of the brain, looking at the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem in animated forms. The audience is then taken to a classroom, where a girl named Jessica is fretting over a note she has received from the principal. Her friend Fred inquires what she’s done, but she’s not sure. Another student named Sylvester grabs the note and reads it out loud, informing her that it’s not good. Their teacher comes in and begins their lesson on the brain and the nervous system. Jessica is still distracted from the note, but manages to answer questions on what the cerebrum does. Sylvester is asked about the cerebellum, but is unable to answer, and Fred throws something at him to make a point about how the cerebellum handles balance and coordination. The teacher continues with the brain stem, and then moves into how the brain works with the spinal cord. Jessica finally leaves for her meeting with the principal, her brain working on overload as she walks the hallway. The principal informs her that her project at the science fair won first place, and she will be given an award at a future assembly. She wonders if everyone will think she’s a brain, and when the principal inquires if she is, she smiles, as the pieces of her brain add, “and proud of it, too!”
January 15, 1926 – The Alice Comedy Alice’s Balloon Race is Released
“Big Balloon Race – $10,000.00 Prize To The Winner”
On January 15, 1926, the Alice Comedy Alice’s Balloon Race was released to theaters. It was the 28th Alice Comedy to be produced, and the 12th to feature second Alice actress Margie Gay.
The short begins with the announcement of a Big Balloon Race, with a $10,000 prize for the winner. A band performs near the sign, drumming up excitement for the race. Alice and Julius are competing in the race against their nemesis Pete, who tells the crowd that Julius is nothing to be concerned with. The balloons set off, although Alice and Julius’ balloon doesn’t immediately take off. Pete tries to cheat and throws Alice and Julius’ balloon to the ground. Julius then has a difficult time getting it to fly, causing a fight between the duo. The pair then spot a hippo with a pipe and a spittoon, and Julius comes up with the idea to use the hippo to get then moving, thanks to the hippo’s sneeze by the use of red hot pepper. The balloon takes off, without Julius, and Alice sends down a ladder to pull him up, but forgets to hold the other end of the ladder, sending Julius tumbling to the ground. He continues to chase after the balloon and uses a rope to get up, but then the pair find themselves caught in a storm. The balloon is destroyed, and the pair fall to the ground, but Julius uses a dachshund and two balloons to send him skyward again, but this also fails. He then tries to use an elephant filled with air, pulled along by a passing bird. Julius then spends his time dodging lightning strikes, but then uses the lightning to deflate Pete’s balloon, which lands on Alice. Pete, angered by both, chases after them.
December 19, 2003 – The Short Film Destino is Released to Theaters
“In 1946, two legendary artists began collaboration on a short film. More than half a century later, their creation has finally been completed.”
On December 19, 2003, the animated short feature Destino was released to theaters, months after its well-received debut at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 2. This short is experimental in nature, having been conceived as a collaboration between Walt Disney and artist Salvador Dali back in 1946. After being storyboarded for eight months, the film was unexpectedly shelved, and wasn’t brought to the studio’s attention until 2002, when Roy E. Disney picked up the project and brought it to completion. Complications arose in the completion of the project, as the contract between Disney and Dali stipulated that Disney possessed the storyboards, but didn’t own any aspect of the project until the movie was made. Using a portfolio of 80 sketches and a 15-second film reel. The completed short is a mix of 2D and CG animation, with the CG being used to replicate Dali’s “plastic” style. It was eventually nominated for the Best Animated Short Academy Award. The story for the film was developed by Dali and John Hench, and features the song “Destino,” written by Armando Dominiguez. The song was performed by Dora Luz.
December 15, 1924 – The Alice Comedy Alice the Piper is Released
On December 15, 1924, the Alice Comedy Alice the Piper was released to theaters. This is the 11th Alice Comedy released, and features first Alice actress Virginia Davis. Although not considered a lost film, it hasn’t been released on home video. This short film is based on the story The Pied Piper of Hamelin, and features Alice and Julius ridding a town of rats.
December 11, 2007 – Wave Seven of the Walt Disney Treasures Sets is Released
On December 11, 2007, the seventh wave of the Walt Disney Treasures sets was released through Walt Disney Home Entertainment. This wave featured three sets: The Chronological Donald, Volume Three; The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit; and Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic. The first set featured Donald Duck’s filmography from 1947 through 1950, including a documentary about the character called “The Many Faces of Donald Duck.” The Oswald set contains all the Oswald cartoons, as of the date of release, that had not been considered lost, and had been remastered; Ozzie of the Mounted, Tall Timber, and Bright Lights were newly rediscovered before the release of the set. The Oswald set also featured three Alice Comedies (known as Before Oswald) and two Mickey Mouse shorts and the Silly Symphony Skeleton Dance (known as After Oswald), as well as the documentary The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story. The last set features a documentary about Disneyland, as well as other specials and tidbits about the Disney Park.
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