I remember watching my first short film, before a Disney animated movie, and thinking how cool it was that they were able to tell a story in such a cute way in a short amount of time. I was hooked. I am so glad that they are continuously developing them & have even released a collection of our favorites on DVD.

Before heading to my last day at the D23 Expo, we had the chance to sit down and chat with some of the geniuses behind our favorite Disney Animated Short Films…

  • Peter Del Vecho, the Producer for Frozen Fever
  • Mark Hen, the Director of John Henry
  • Dorothy McKim, the Producer of Get A Horse!, The Ballad Of Nessie, Tick Tock Tale, Prep and Landing and Operation Secret Santa
  • Mike Gabriel, the Director for Lorenzo.

Our conversation was interesting and fun!

Check out these 7 Fun Facts About Disney Animated Short Films:

7 Fun Facts About Disney Animated Short Films & Other Fun Facts
1. Walt Disney’s voice was used for every word spoken by Mickey Mouse in the short, Get A Horse! When they couldn’t find the word “red” in any of the archived recordings, the sound team took the sounds for each letter, “r” “e” “d” and spliced them together to create the word for authenticity.

2. There are no “Easter Eggs” in Lorenzo. (Look below for a Easter Eggs Spoiler for Get A Horse! & Frozen Fever)

3. Fantasia is the only short film that has later been made into a featured film…It started as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

4. For Get A Horse!, all brand new animation was done, nothing is reused. It’s all hand drawn animation done in black and white.

5. Shorts, from a technical side, were done specifically to test out some new process that was implemented into a feature film. The Old Mill, for example, was playing with the multiplying camera back in the 30’s and 40’s. It’s also used to test out talent, like a director.

6. Shorts Are Artist Driven, meaning anyone at the Walt Disney Animation Studios can pitch an idea for a short film.

7. All of the people mentioned above have been made “appearances” in featured films.

  • Peter Del Vecho: He does a tango across the dance floor in Princess and the Frog
  • Mark Hen: He’s a polyp with a mustache and glasses in The Little Mermaid
  • Dorothy McKim: She’s the little girl, Dot, waving out the window in Beauty And The Beast
  • Mike Gabriel: Oliver and Company. There’s a scene where there’s the Butler looking at a wrestling match on the TV towards the end of the film. He’s one of those Wrestlers.

3 Bonus Fun Facts for a featured film:

* There’s still one Easter egg in Frozen that no one has ever found.

*Jim McDonald’s wife bought him a leather wallet for Christmas and had it engraved with his initials but it wasn’t done just right. When he received it, he started moving it back and forth and he loved that sound. He loved it so much that the sound was used for the dwarves walking in the mine shaft.

* In Pocahontas, Indians gathered outside their village on cellphones as an “Easter egg” was removed. Mike doesn’t like polluting a scene.

2 Easter Egg Short Film Spoilers

Get A Horse!: Oswald peeks through right at the end.

Frozen Fever: If you look carefully at one of the Snowgies, it will reflect a movie that came after Frozen. Need a clue? It features a BIG hero and it’s a team of 6.

The Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD and includes:

  • Frozen Fever (2015)
  • Feast (2014)
  • Get A Horse! (2013)
  • Paperman (2012)
  • Tangled Ever After (2012)
  • The Ballad of Nessie (2011)
  • Tick Tock Tale (2010)
  • Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa (2010)
  • How to Hook Up Your Home Theater (2007)
  • The Little Matchgirl (2006)
  • Lorenzo (2004)
  • John Henry (2000)