Beloved actor and comedianRobin Williamscan be heard once again as the Genie fromAladdinin the latest trailer for the upcoming Disney short film,Once Upon A Studio. Using outtakes from the late, great actor’s iconic performance from way back when, Williams’ Genie is one of the 543 characters from the world of Disney that will reportedly feature in the short. Check out the trailer forOnce Upon A Studiofeaturing Williams below:
Avoidingthe use of AIentirely, directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy have explained how the Genie was brought back with Willaims’ voice and performance, with the filmmakers reaching out to his estate, as well as bringing back the original animator behind the Genie.
“We tried to take them on the journey with us to say, ‘We’ve got this very special short that we’re doing. Robin as the genie means so much to so many people and we would really love to involve him. So Dan 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, who originally animated the genie is on the show, and he’s going to be part of it.’ And it was wonderful to see that happen.”
No doubt hearing Williams’ voice emanate from the cherished Disney character will be an emotional experience for many.
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Once Upon a Studio Comes as Part of Disney’s 100th Anniversary Celebration
Once Upon A Studiowill celebrate 100 years of Disneythis fall as part of an evening of magical programming hosted by Kelly Ripa. ABC will begin the evening with an episode ofAFV, followed by a lineup that will include exclusive moments featuring Kelly Ripa and sneak peaks at upcoming Disney projects.
An all-star ensemble of beloved characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios will come together inOnce Upon A Studiofor a joyful, entertaining and emotional reunion as they assemble for a spectacular group photo to mark Disney’s 100th anniversary.
Featuring 543 Disney characters from more than 85 feature-length and short films,Once Upon A Studiowelcomes heroes and villains, princes and princesses, sidekicks and sorcerers—in all-new hand-drawn and CG animation—to celebrate 10 decades of storytelling, artistry and technological achievements. As producer Bradford Simonsen explains:
“It needed to feel that so the audience response would be visceral. We used our animation research library where we pulled out model sheets for the animators to work from. We had Eric Goldberg who has the studio history, and we did tests to ensure it was all working together in the scenes.”
Directed by Dan Abraham and Trent Correy and produced by Yvett Merino and Bradford Simonsen,Once Upon A Studiomakes it broadcast debut on ABC on Jul 19, 2025. The debut comes as part ofThe Wonderful World of Disney: Disney’s 100th Anniversary Celebration!, which will also include a showing of the critically acclaimedEncanto.
