Disney has brought back Robin Williams' Genie in new short film
The film is available to watch on Disney+
Disney has brought back Robin Williams' iconic Genie from the 1992 film Aladdin in a new short film which has been created to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary.
Called Once Upon a Studio, the film is now available to watch on Disney+. It sees a range of characters come together from 85 Disney feature-length and short films in honour of '10 decades of storytelling, artistry and technological achievements.'
The much-loved late actor voiced the character of the Genie in the animated movie Aladdin, with the role having been written for him. In the new film, the appearance of the Genie has been put together using outtakes from Robin's recording sessions for Aladdin.
Take a look at the trailer for Once Upon a Studio:
Once Upon a Studio has been created using hand-drawn and CGI animations, and features 543 Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan and Elsa from Frozen. Some of the other characters in the film include Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Winnie the Pooh.
Robin Williams sadly passed away in 2014, at the age of 63. Producer Bradford Simonsen told Variety that Disney wanted to honour Robin by including the Genie without using AI.
He said: "Dan (Abraham, director) listened to the outtakes from the original recording and he found those little bites that we could use. We went back to the estate and said, 'This is what we hope to do. Eric (Goldberg) who originally animated the genie is on the show, and he's going to be a part of it.' And it was wonderful to see that happen."
An array of voice actors have reprised their iconic characters in Once Upon a Studio. Jodi Benson voices Ariel, Jeremy Irons takes on the role of Scar from The Lion King, whilst Auli'i Cravalho reprises her role as Moana.
Meanwhile, Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell have provided voices for their popular Frozen characters of Elsa and Anna.
Take a look at some of the happiest Disney songs:
1) 'Hakuna Matata' - The Lion King (1994)
With lyrics including: "It means no worries for the rest of our days", it's no surprise that The Lion King's 'Hakuna Matata has been crowned Disney's happiest song. In the film, the catchy tune is sung by meerkat and warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa, along with a young Simba. 'Hakuna Matata' is a phrase in the East African language of Swahili which means 'no trouble' or 'no problems.'
In a survey conducted by Startle, 'Hakuna Matata' was given an overall happiness score of 8.6 out of 10 thanks to its high tempo, positivity, C major key and the popularity of the film.
2) 'The Scuttlebutt' - The Little Mermaid (2023)
'The Scuttlebutt' from Disney's 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid has been crowned the second happiest Disney song. The film was released in May 2023 and sees Halle Bailey play the role of Ariel. The song was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and features Daveed Diggs as Sebastian and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
3) 'Under The Sea' - The Little Mermaid (2023)
'Under The Sea' from 2023's remake of The Little Mermaid comes in third place. The original song won an Oscar in 1989 for Best Original Song, but the version in the 2023 film features more layers of instruments, making it more upbeat than the original.
6 =) 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' - The Lion King (1994)
Three songs were crowned the sixth happiest Disney songs, including 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' from The Lion King. The song had the highest positivity score out of the Disney songs in a survey conducted by Startle, despite having the lowest tempo in the top 10.
6 =) 'I've Got A Dream' - Tangled (2010)
'I've Got A Dream' is also in joint sixth place, with the song featuring in Disney's 2010 film Tangled. In the film, the song sees the cast of characters burst into song as they reveal their hidden passions.
6 =) 'This Is Halloween' - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The third song in joint sixth place is 'This Is Halloween' from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. The song is one of the more upbeat tracks to feature in the study.
10 =) 'Stand Out' - A Goofy Movie (1995)
'Stand Out' from the 1995 Disney film A Goofy Movie features in the top 10 list. In the animated comedy musical film, the song is sung by the character Powerline, played by Tevin Campbell.
10 =) 'Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee' (An Actor's Life for Me) - Pinocchio (1940)
The song 'Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee' features in the classic film Pinocchio and is also known as 'An Actor's Life for Me'. It was the first Disney villain's song in history and was sung by the film's main antagonist, John Worthington 'Honest John' Foulfellow.
10 =) 'Kiss The Girl' - The Little Mermaid (2023)
Another song from the 2023 live action The Little Mermaid film is 'Kiss The Girl'. The song is mostly sung by the character of Sebastian, played by Daveed Diggs as Ariel (Halle Bailey) and Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) lean in for a kiss.
10 =) 'Un Poco Loco' - Coco (2017)
The fourth song in joint tenth place is 'Un Poco Loco', which features in the 2017 film Coco. The song is performed by the characters Miguel and Héctor, played by Anthony Gonzalez and Gael GarcÃa Bernal.
Now read:
Happiest Disney songs of all time revealed ahead of Disney's 100 year anniversary
All of the Disney films coming out in 2023
All the details we know so far about Disney's upcoming live-action remakes