Robin Williams’ ‘Genie’ returns for huge Disney celebration

It’s a bittersweet moment for fans of the incredible, late Robin Williams. Disney is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, and as part of the festivities, Walt Disney Animation Studios is bringing back some of its most iconic characters, including the Genie from Aladdin, voiced by Williams in 1992. In its newly released short film, Once Upon a Studio, we see 543 animated Disney characters from more than 85 Disney films “as they assemble for a spectacular group photo to mark Disney’s 100th anniversary,” according to the official synopsis.

Though Williams died in 2014, the short film’s co-writers and co-directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy wanted to include Genie in Once Upon a Studio. Producer Brad Simonsen told Variety that they first asked the Williams family for permission to find a way to include Genie — and Williams’ legacy — in the project.

“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,'” Sinonsen said.

With the Williams family’s blessing, Abraham “listened to the outtakes from the original recording [of Aladdin] and he found those little bites we could use.”

“We went back to the estate and said, ‘This is what we hope to do,'” Simonsen explained. “[Animator Eric Goldberg], 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.”

The 13-minute short film shows Disney characters, including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan and dozens of characters from the company’s history, taking a celebratory group photo at Walt Disney Animation on the company’s 100th birthday. After the photo, the characters come together to sing, “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
Once Upon a Studio is streaming now on Disney+.