Disney And Taika Waititi Debut Holiday Short

TV & Film

Nov 23

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and Disney partnered with film industry legend Taika Waititi to show it with a new short. The video opens with a gently building orchestral rendition of ‘Part of Your World’ from The Little Mermaid's 1989 and 2023 versions and takes the audience to the beach where a young child is visiting with his family. While diving into the ocean, he meets an octopus that won’t detach from his head! The two go home together, and the boy begins introducing the octopus to the rest of the world, opening its eyes.

The duo hit a night market, with the octopus pulling a move from Pixar’s Ratatouille (2007) by hiding under the boy’s Mickey Mouse hat. With prompting from a viewing of The Santa Clause (1994), the two sketch out a plan to send the octopus off with Santa so he can see more of the world. It ends with a successful mission and a line reading, “The greatest journeys start with a dream.” The short is available on YouTube; you can add it to your Disney+ library for easy access to rewatch anytime!

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Waititi spoke about the short and its soul, “The story manages to connect the feelings that you get around the holidays, and the joy, the goodwill, and everything, with those same emotions and those same sensibilities you get from Disney films.” The director continued, “I think they go hand in hand, and it’s the perfect match – and only Disney could have made something like this…with me.”

The Walt Disney Company’s Chief Brand Officer, Asad Ayaz, also had some comments on the collaboration, “For generations, Disney has been an ever-present part of the holiday season all over the world, and this short builds on the enduring connection that so many families have with Disney during this special time of year.” He wrapped up his comments by focusing on the collaboration itself, “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Taika Waititi on this timeless story of childhood friendship against the backdrop of this magical season.”