Disney is Set to Premiere Its First Animated Short in Half a Decade!

We’ve been gearing up for the big release of Disney’s upcoming film, Raya and the Last Dragon, next month!

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When it comes out on March 5th, you’ll be able to watch it in theaters or pay a fee to stream the movie on Disney+. It will come free to all Disney+ subscribers later this year. And if we weren’t already excited enough to watch the movie from viewing all the trailers, we now know that a NEW Disney short film will premiere with Raya and the Last Dragon in theaters!

Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we know that Us Again, the first Walt Disney Animation theatrical short in 5 years, will play before the feature film. It will later arrive on Disney+ in June.

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Us Again is written and directed by Zach Parrish, the head of animation behind Big Hero 6. It tells the story of “an elderly man named Art and his young-at-heart wife Dot who rekindle their zest for life through dance one magical night.” Since there is no dialogue in the short, it will instead relay the story through a fantastic funk and soul-inspired score.

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To make the film more authentic, Parrish worked with real-life dancers and couple Keone and Mari Madrid. “Story is something that Keone and I are really drawn to in movement, and we love to do that without words all the time so that’s why this intersection was so perfect,” Mari says.

©Dance Spirit | Keone and Marie Madrid

Parrish was inspired to write this short thanks to his own personal struggles with aging. He wanted to communicate that “It’s about remembering to enjoy the ride no matter what your age is. And to look at the world around you and realize how special it is.”

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The new short is supposed to be filled with details that viewers may not notice until a second watch, including special cultural touches in Art and Dot’s apartment. We’ll be on the lookout for more information about this short, and we’ll keep you updated on its arrival on Disney+!