There are two types of films Walt Disney Pictures is most famous for creating, their full-length motion pictures, and their animated short films. In recent years, we’ve seen somewhat of a resurgence of the medium since the days of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, and we’re honestly quite impressed.
With new stories, visuals, and animation techniques, we’ve seen a new breed of Disney cartoons appear in the last decade or so. In response, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite short subjects from the house of mouse. Though they might not be as classic as their predecessors, they still have a beloved element of Disney Magic about them.
Runaway Brain
Though this one is technically made in the ’90s, we feel like we need to give it an honorable mention, because it’s one of the first Mickey Mouse short films to bring the classic character into the modern era. This updated short featured Mickey playing video games, attempting to get a special date for Minnie, and doing battle with a kaiju-sized Pete.
When Mickey gets his brain swapped with a Frankenstein-type monster by Dr. Frankenollie (voiced by Kelsey Grammer), he has to pull several action-movie grade stunts to save Minnie from the creature. Leonard Maltin said it best, it’s not your mom and dad’s Mickey Mouse.
The Ballad of Nessie
Any Disney short that deliberately and repeatedly tugs on our heartstrings has to be worthy of a spot on our list. The fact that it’s a tale about the Loch Ness Monster narrated by Billy Connolly is just icing on the tartan-patterned cake. This bittersweet short not only gives us a delightful story but reminds us it’s okay to have a healthy cry.
It’s that emotional message that wins this short a place on this list, simply because it’s a lesson not a lot of people, certainly not many adults, think about. Pair that with the beautiful storybook art style and you’ve got a recipe for sheer delight.
Destino
Though this short technically began work in the 1940s, it didn’t get finished until 2003. Destino is the result of a historic collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali that never made it into final production until a group of modern animators took the half-finished animation and turned it into a Fantasia-worthy short film.
To describe the plot would be like trying to explain one meaning behind the artist’s surrealist paintings. The only thing we can really say with 100 percent accuracy about this film is that it begs to be viewed. Psychedelic doesn’t even begin to describe it.
John Henry
Where our previous entry was a visual trip, John Henry is a visual tale. Aside from the larger-than-life, hammer-wielding protagonist, it’s sketchbook-inspired art style is reminiscent of films like Atlantis or even 101 Dalmatians. It’s a perfect medium to tell this slice of American folklore.
For those of you who slept in English class, John Henry was a folk-hero who reportedly beat a mechanized steam-drill in a railroad contest, but died with his hammer in his hand. Disney’s version is definitely a great representation of the tale and is definitely worth its weight in steel.
How To Hook Up Your Home Theater
One thing we love seeing out of Disney shorts is returning to form, but making the right moves in terms of modernization. In a world where that can easily be screwed up, How To Hook Up Your Home Theater, starring everyone’s favorite dopey dog, is a perfect example of this concept put into play.
It’s essentially a classic Goofy cartoon with modern-day tech. It has all the familiar struggles of setting up your TV set by yourself, wires and all, but with an army of Goofies as the film’s cast. It’s definitely something we need to see more of.
Paperman
Paperman is one of those special short films from Disney that proves traditional animation isn’t dead. Granted, it’s 2-D tracing over 3-D models, but it’s a callback style we can definitely get behind. It’s essentially a cell-shaded love story communicated through paper airplanes, but it’s the artwork and animation that really sells the short.
This beautifully animated story shows the importance of communication, and how a little color can go a long way in a black-and-white world. It’ll warm your heart and make you smile, but more importantly, it should reiterate the power of ink and paint… and maybe paper too.
Tick Tock Tale
Riddle us this, how do you give something emotions without giving it a face? The answer lies in Tick Tock Tale. In this eccentric little short, a slow-running clock with a kooky chime must save his snarky and sneering peers from a fiendish thief, though the plot sounds a little strange, the characters are absolutely incredible.
The short earns a spot on our list for visuals alone. From the clock’s faces, you can determine their dispositions easily. It truly takes a heap of talent to give expressions and personality to inanimate objects without giving them eyes, mouths, or other facial features.
Feast
Feast takes the concept of a dog’s view of the world and puts it in a new perspective. The puppy’s environment is shown primarily through the foods and scraps consumed by him and his owner. This, of course, changes when the dog’s owner has a new woman in his life and his habits change accordingly.
If it’s one thing Disney knows how to do exceptionally well with animation, it’s tell a story. Feast tells an emotional and gripping narrative with hardly a real line of dialogue, but loads and loads of food. It’s more of a feast for the eyes and imagination than anything else.
Lorenzo
Hey kids, ever see a cartoon about a cat trying to murder his own tail? If Fantasia had a Latin-music-inspired counterpart, Lorenzo would be its “Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” This colorful tail-tale involves a fat blue feline, a creepy cat’s curse, and a possessed, tango-obsessed tail.
Easily the darkest short on our list, the amount of physical comedy is as fiery as the tango theme song that drives the score. We see Lorenzo try to drown his tail, bind it, electrocute it, and even have it run over by a train! If it wasn’t for the cute curtain call at the end, we wouldn’t think we were watching a Disney short.
Get a Horse
And now we come to where the classic meets the modern, where sketchbook meets computer screen, and where then meets now with Mickey Mouse in Get a Horse. Using both old and new animation techniques, Disney brings Mickey out of his world of ink and paint and right off the screen.
Seeing Mickey and his co-stars interact so much in such a small space as a movie screen is absolutely astounding. The gags are straight from a 1930s cartoon, but with a few modern references peppered in for good measure. It’s the mouse at his finest, and it’s definitely worthy of the top spot.
