Once Upon a Studio Directors and Producers Reveal What They Want To See Disney Tackle Next

Walt Disney Animation Studios is celebrating its 100th anniversary today. Over the last century, the studio has released over 60 films starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. Recently, ComicBook.com had the chance to ask the creatives behind Wish, Disney’s next animated feature, and we asked what they want to see from the company in the next 100 years. In another recent interview with the directors and producers of the new short film, Once Upon a Studio, we asked the same question. 

“You know, it’s interesting because, with stories and technology changing and all that stuff, I just hope Disney keeps doing what they’ve been doing, which is just finding characters that connect universally, have humanity, have charm, and bring joy,” Once Upon a Studio co-director Trent Correy explained. “I mean, the sincerity we always talk about with our characters, it’s like no matter the medium or the types of stories they tell, whether they’re book adaptions or original or sequels, I think as long as that’s at the core of it, that’s what’s important.” 

“And I got to say, too, Trent and I have some stories we want to tell and we hope to tell them together,” co-director Dan Abraham added. 

“Working on this project in particular, obviously, you reflect a lot on the history of the studio and the stories we’ve told and the ones that we’ve been lucky enough to be a part of, but the ones that came before and the impact that they had,” producer Yvett Merino shared. “But it got me really excited for the next hundred years, and imagine it all started with two brothers who said, ‘What if we do this?’ That’s literally how it started. And all of this came from that. I have a career because of that. And so I’m excited, and knowing what we have going on here in the studio and just to be a part of that, and to be a part of that history is super exciting.”

“I think when you come in daily like we do to work in the studio, you have moments, at least I have moments where I do think about the legacy, what we are creating and the future and being part of that,” producer Brad Simonsen added. “I think when you do think deeply about that, and you see what we’ve done with this short, and you see how audiences, everyone reacts to it and then has their character, it makes me incredibly conscious of inclusion and making people feel seen and making sure that the movies we make allow everyone to feel part of our world, and to be part of this journey, and to engage with those characters in a universal way. I think that that’s what inspires me now for the future, is really telling stories for the broadest audiences that are core to our being and make the world a better place.”

When we asked if there are any existing Disney characters they’d like to expand on, Abraham shared, “I always liked Scamp from Lady in the Tramp, and I know they did a Scamp movie at one point, but I could do a Scamp movie.” Correy added, “I’ll go with Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone. I think she could have a cool story. And I love the wizarding duel, I think it’s one of the greatest, most charming, magical sequences in animation.”

Stay tuned for more from our interviews with the producers and directors of Once Upon a Studio, which will make its broadcast premiere during The Wonderful World of Disney: Disney’s 100th Anniversary Celebration! Sunday, October 15th on ABC.