Unitled WDAS Short by Malcon Pierce

[Sotiris]

As Versa continues to play at various animation events and festivals around the world this year, Pierce is also busy co-directing an unannounced short. He’s tight-lipped about the details, but he does tell us this: “This short revisits one of Disney’s favorite characters, and I’ll have to leave it at that for now!”

Source: https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/ ... ort-versa/

[Dis2d]

hopefully something 2D.

way he talks its sounds like a Legacy Project and doesn't sound like a its related to a newly released movie.

things to consider, Oswald, Mickey, Winnie all have anniversaries in 2027 and 2028. Or it could be something else.

[PatchofBlue]

Oo. I like the sound of that. I'm wondering if it's one of the fab 5 outside of Mickey. It'd be nice to keep their presence fresh for contemporary viewers. Though, I could also live if it were a legacy character from the animated canon.

[Dis2d]

Oo. I like the sound of that. I'm wondering if it's one of the fab 5 outside of Mickey. It'd be nice to keep their presence fresh for contemporary viewers. Though, I could also live if it were a legacy character from the animated canon.

I doubt its that simply because in
-2021=they made 3 shorts with Goofy during Covid
-2024=Donald Duck got 2 shorts for his 90th anniversary, DIY Duck and the Hot One

if Mickey and Oswald are hitting 100th Anniversary. Surely they must be doing something more grand than what Donald Got for his 90th. Oswald getting that Live Action Show is already something. Because of this, I think the Fab 5 outside of Mickey is unlikely.

I really do wish that Disney animation would make more programming. Sadly 1 movie a year and 1 short a year seems to be all we get from them. We are also getting that Tiana Special but that's basically it. Wish they would do more shorts every year though.

[PatchofBlue]

Were any of those shorts theatrical, though?

[Dis2d]

they were all Disney+/online but at end of day, all done by WDAS.

With a very limited chances at shorts or other releases, I don't see WDAS revisiting same characters so early/recent in time.

things could have been different if WDAS was more productive like as in released numerous shorts every year.

given their limited # of shorts, how many can go to Legacy Characters and how many can go to Originals???

[Jules]

I really do wish that Disney animation would make more programming. Sadly 1 movie a year and 1 short a year seems to be all we get from them.

I have long wondered how come there is such a discrepancy in the output of WDAS and Pixar, since I assume they are more or less the same size. WDAS makes one movie a year (assuming there no production hiccups), whereas Pixar makes three movies every two years, and has been doing so for a long time now.

[Dis2d]

I really do wish that Disney animation would make more programming. Sadly 1 movie a year and 1 short a year seems to be all we get from them.

I have long wondered how come there is such a discrepancy in the output of WDAS and Pixar, since I assume they are more or less the same size. WDAS makes one movie a year (assuming there no production hiccups), whereas Pixar makes three movies every two years, and has been doing so for a long time now.

that is something, I also noticed. It sucks because I'm a bigger fan of WDAS than Pixar fan.

but its more damning when you take into account TV Shows made by them.
-Pixar=Dream Productions+Win or Lose=12 episodes.
Then add Cars on the Road+Dug Days+Forky Asks a Question=25 shorts

-WDAS=Iwaju=6 episodes.....even that seems like WDAS was mostly pre-production+Storyboarding.
Then Add Baymax+Zootopia+=12 shorts

Pixar is X2+ the productivity of WDAS.
WDAS really looking very unproductive studio tbh. They can barely muster much of anything, it looks even worse if one takes away Iwaju as production was done elsewhere. And then add that they couldn't make Tiana TV Show work so nixed it and instead all we get is a 30 min special. Going from a likely 6 episodes to 1 episodes's worth....even this year's announcement of moving away from TV shows sounded like they couldn't manage so focusing only on Movies+Shorts and nothing else.

its a waste the whole 1 short a year as they can be used for numerous things. Tell shorter stories that don't require 1h30, play around with technology, giving directing gigs to up and coming directors. If all you do is 1 Movie+1 Short, that limits the potential.

this is also why any 2D is mostly wasted.
-1 movie/year=non-2D
-1 short/year=toss up to whether 2D or not. Whenever they go original they tend to do 3D. I find it funny that from the concept art vs official images that Versa looks better in hand drawn, lol. The official images makes it look very clunky.

leaves 2D as mostly not doing much of anything. If their shorts pipeline was bigger we likely would get more from 2D. At this point more 2D means we need more hybrid projects.