Once Upon a Studio: How to Watch, Tribute & FAQ (2023)

Few animation moments hit like watching Mickey Mouse step out of a frame and wander the halls of his own studio. That’s the heart of Once Upon a Studio, an eight-minute short that turns Disney’s 100-year legacy into a reunion of characters you grew up with. It’s also a quiet farewell to one of the people who helped create them.

Release date: October 16, 2023 · Runtime: 8 minutes · Characters featured: 543 · Directors: Dan Abraham, Trent Correy

Six facts captured in the snapshot, one pattern: data points consistently place this short simultaneously as a technical feat and a personal farewell. Here’s a table that shows the core production details.

Where can I watch the Once Upon a Studio?

Is Once Upon a Studio on Disney+?

• The short is a Disney+ exclusive, added on October 16, 2023 (The Walt Disney Company (official press release))
• It is also available on YouTube via Disney’s official channel (YouTube – Disney Official)

Can I watch Once Upon a Studio for free?

• Yes, the YouTube upload is free and does not require a subscription (YouTube – Disney Official)
• No other free streaming platforms carry the short (Wikipedia (community reference))

The implication: Disney made the short broadly accessible, but its primary home remains Disney+, reinforcing the platform as the central hub for studio content.

Is “Once Upon a Studio” a tribute?

What is the short celebrating?

• The short commemorates the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company (Disney Wiki (fan database))
• It features characters from 85+ films spanning the studio’s history (YouTube – Disney Official)

What is the connection to Disney’s 100th anniversary?

• The short was created specifically for the centennial, with the release date coinciding with the anniversary (The Walt Disney Company (official press release))
• The narrative is set on October 16, 2023, the exact 100th anniversary of the studio (Disney Wiki (fan database))

What this means: the short is a deliberate milestone marker, tying the studio’s past and present into one unified moment.

What happens in Once Upon a Studio?

How does the short begin?

• After a workday, the Roy E. Disney Animation Building empties out, then pictures and animation frames come to life (Wikipedia (community reference))
• Mickey Mouse steps out of a frame and decides to gather characters for a group photo (Disney Wiki (fan database))

The pattern: a simple premise—characters breaking free from their frames—creates a sense of liberation and community.

Which characters are together?

• 543 characters from more than 85 films appear (YouTube – Disney Official)
• Includes both hand-drawn and CGI characters, from early classics to modern hits (Boardwalk Times (fan analysis))

What is the ending?

• All characters gather for a group photo in front of the animation building (Disney Wiki (fan database))
• The final shot is a live-action group photo with the characters (Wikipedia (community reference))

Why this matters: the group photo is a visual summary of the studio’s output, but the real punch is the inclusion of Burny Mattinson, who appears as an animator in the opening scene—a subtle farewell.

Who is the old guy at the beginning of Once Upon a Studio?

Who is Burny Mattinson?

• Burny Mattinson was a Disney Legend and the longest-serving employee at Walt Disney Animation Studios (Wikipedia (community reference))
• He passed away in June 2023, making his cameo his final appearance in a Disney production (Wikipedia (community reference))

What was his role at Disney?

• He started as an in-betweener, later becoming an animator, story artist, and producer (Wikipedia (community reference))
• He worked on classics such as Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast (Wikipedia (community reference))

The catch: his brief cameo is loaded—he’s the only living human in the short, and his presence grounds the fantasy in real studio history.

Which film almost ruined Disney?

What is The Black Cauldron?

• The Black Cauldron (1985) was a box office failure that nearly bankrupted Disney’s animation department (Wikipedia (community reference))
• It was the first Disney animated film to receive a PG rating (Wikipedia (community reference))

How did The Black Cauldron affect Disney?

• The failure led to leadership changes and a shift toward more commercially viable stories, eventually sparking the Disney Renaissance (Wikipedia (community reference))

The implication: the short indirectly reminds viewers that Disney’s survival wasn’t guaranteed—its 100-year run came through resilience after near-collapse.

“Once Upon a Studio is a love letter to the studio’s 100-year legacy.”

— Walt Disney Animation Studios (Disney Wiki (fan database))

“The short is dedicated to the late Burny Mattinson, the company’s longest-serving employee.”

— Wikipedia (Wikipedia (community reference))

For Disney fans, Once Upon a Studio is more than a nostalgia trip: it reflects the artists who built the studio and a reminder that the company’s most valuable asset is its animated heritage. For new viewers, it’s a perfect entry point into a century of storytelling. The real takeaway for Disney+ executives: the short reinforces the platform as the archive’s home, but for everyone who watched Burny Mattinson’s cameo, the lasting impression is the farewell.

Frequently asked questions