Disney Once Upon a Studio: Disney Plus short film celebrating 100 years of Disney - and UK release date

A new short film released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney Animation Studios is enrapturing fans of the House of Mouse worldwide.

Once Upon a Studio combines traditional hand-drawn animation with computer graphics and live action footage to take viewers on a journey through a century of animation, featuring hundreds of Disney's most beloved characters in one place.

But how exactly can you watch the short film in the UK, and what is it all about? Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is Once Upon a Studio?

In Once Upon a Studio, as a typical workday concludes in the studio, the Disney characters depicted in pictures hanging on the walls begin to come to life.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse spring free from their pictures first, and hatch a plan to gather characters from all around the studio for a group photo.

The short features 545 Disney Animation characters from all of the studio's feature films and animated shorts, up to and including the studio's upcoming film Wish - currently scheduled to be released in the UK on 24 November.

Once Upon a Studio is primarily the brainchild of directors Trent Correy and Dan Abraham, who came up with the idea in their free time across around eight months of brainstorming.

They've described the short as a "love letter" to Walt Disney Animation Studios and a heartfelt "thank you to anyone in the audience that's ever connected with a film over the last hundred years.

More than 40 actors lend their voices to the film, and where original actors were not available - for instance in the case of the late Robin William, who voiced Aladdin's Genie - previously unused audio recordings were made available.

Close to 80% of the animation in the short film is meticulously hand-drawn, with the directors steadfast in their commitment to using traditional ink and paper techniques for the hand-drawn scenes. Each character is animated in a manner that faithfully replicates the art style of their respective original films.

Where can I watch it?

Once Upon a Studio is available to stream now through Disney Plus.

At just nine minutes long, the short film is an easily digestible treat for Disney fans, and a perfect way to remember the hundreds of great characters Walt Disney Animation Studios has brought us over the past 100 years.