The newest short film to come out of the powerhouse that is Walt Disney Animation Studios, Inner Workings! Inner Workings is set to debut this June at the Annecy International Animation Festival and later this year globally with Disney’s Moana in November. Apparently the short is “going to blow your mind,” so it may be best to strap in for a wild and creative ride! But what is Inner Workings about? Find out after the break!
Inner Workings will be Directed by Leo Matsuda, who was a story artist on Big Hero 6 and Wreck-It Ralph, and Produced by Sean Lurie. The short follows the story of the internal struggle between a man’s Brain—a pragmatic protector who calculates his every move, and his Heart—a free-spirited adventurer who wants to let loose. Sounds a bit like Inside Out except bodily organs instead of emotions? Or perhaps several animated Disney classics of the past like 1943’s wartime short “Reason and Emotion” and Cranium Command, the 17-minute-long attraction that appeared inside Epcot’s Wonders of Life pavilion between 1989 and 2007? Well, that’s because Matsuda has constructed Inner Workingsaround these inspirations, promising a new twist on previous Disney works.
What’s also just as exciting about the short’s premise is the technology being used to tell this inventive story. Just like Disney’s most recent short film hits and Academy Award winning Paperman and Feast, Inner Workings will take full advantage of and push the boundaries of Disney’s Meander technology, which combines the best of both 3D computer animation and traditional, hand-drawn animation!
Still not yet excited? Well, Inner Workings is set to debut with Directors Ron Clements and John Musker’s Moana this November 23rd, so we don’t have too long before we get to experience Inner Workings in all of it’s glory. Plus, Disney Insider promises that both Inner Workings and Moana are Disney Animation’s most ambitious projects yet, so we can definitely expect something really special coming from the Mouse House this Thanksgiving!
Moana (Auli’i Carvalho), Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), Pua (the pig), and Hei Hei (the chicken) from Disney’s MOANA