Disney+ shorts and medium-length films that you want to see in one sitting as soon as you know they exist

Disney+ has become a force to be reckoned with in the world of streaming services and that is a fact few can deny. At this point, it is likely that you have already enjoyed the great series and movies that the platform has, but you still have a small space that you almost certainly had not considered.

And it is that, you can also see a lot of short films and medium-length films that the studio and its subsidiaries have made over almost 100 years. A true Disney fan will tell you that not all the shorts are available on the streaming service, but there are many that you can watch to see just how experimental and daring the company’s animation can be. 

Let’s just remember that one of the first pieces of entertainment that Disney launched were animated short films and it shows in its extensive catalog available on Disney +. From the oldest shorts like Mickey Mouse: Willie the boatman, to the most recent ones with the characters from Frozen, Toy Story or The Simpsons, there are many that you will surely want to see.

The best of all is that you will enjoy great quality in a very short period of time since we are talking about short films and medium-length films that will take away the same as any episode of She-Hulk, for example.

Paperman (2012)

Although Paperman was released in 2012, the short film is in a downright beautiful black and white. Of course, there is a hint of color: the red lipstick stain that hints at the love interest of the story.

Set in New York in the 1950s, the short film shows a young man waiting for a train at a station. While he waits, he sticks to him a piece of paper that flew past and was lost by a woman. Everything will start here.

With Paperman, Disney seeks to reinvent itself and the animation feels modern despite the lack of color and it really does it with exquisite taste. It is a simple love story but executed to perfection. Paperman is unique and should be seen by everyone.

Mickey Mouse: Boatman Willie (1928)

This is not where it all started for Walt Disney Studios, as they were known at the time, since before this there were other short films starring a character who looked and acted similar to Mickey Mouse, despite being a rabbit. 

However, this short, featuring a character who has since become one of the most iconic figures in popular culture, is considered the beginning. And it is that, they still did not see his red underpants, but his whistle and his cheerful attitude. 

In this we will see a nice and mischievous sailor Mickey on a ship that is under the command of the tyrannical Captain Pete. More than 90 years later, this may seem like an inconspicuous thing, but what now seems small was a huge leap forward in 1928.

Day and night (2010)

This short, attached to the emotional Toy Story 3 film, is considered one of the most impactful visual experiences in the studio’s history. The title refers not only to the concepts of day and night without more, but to two characters that represent those two ideas and everything that comes with being one or the other.

Each of them will meet the other, and one will seem fascinated by what night would be if it were day, and another what day would be if it were night. Both the way the short portrays these opposing halves, and the way the animation leads us to a surprisingly beautiful, background-driven conclusion, make Day and Night a hit that was underrated.

Toy Story: Lost Time (2014)

This story takes place after the Christmas holidays and the most famous toys of our childhood will find themselves trapped in unusual territory with a group of new action figures, the Battlesaurs. 

These are not going to make things easy for them since Woody and Buzz will be forced to fight against their leader, Reptilius Maximus. Together they must find their way back to their child’s room.

Lava (2014)

This amazing Pixar short film has been inspired by the beauty of tropical islands and the explosive charm of volcanoes in the ocean. Lava is a musical love story that spans millions of years and simply captures the spirit of tropical islands with great songs in true Lilo & Stitch style.

A lonely volcanic island, Uku, yearns for love and a mate to share his lack of feelings. Despite being surrounded by life on all sides, it doesn’t seem to be enough. However, it seems that there is going to be someone who will listen to his songs and come to pay him a visit.

Abducido (2006)

In the middle of the night, in some strange place, a crucial exam takes place inside an interstellar spaceship. Soon enough, a teenage alien candidate will have to put his knowledge of him to use and prove his worth to the complicated but very funny instructors, by kidnapping a human specimen. 

However, the light and the small alien that controls it from the ship are unable to pull the man. Important to note that if the student hits the wrong switch, disaster and failure are guaranteed.

While the human continues to sleep, the alien tries all the levers. Just when it looks like the alien abduction is going to succeed, something will go wrong. Of course, laughter is guaranteed in a very short period of time.

Maggie Simpson in Maggie’s Longest Day (2012)

Finally, we bring you a short of the always successful Simpson. And who better than Maggie to star in it. Also, he was nominated for an Oscar, so what more can we ask for. Despite the fact that there are several shorts of this endearing character, perhaps what Maggie most represents is her constant confrontation with Gerald, the unibrowed baby.

And it is that, after Marge leaves Maggie in daycare, they judge her as “average intelligence” and place her in the depressing Room of Nothing Special instead of the Gifted Room. With nothing else to spur her on, Maggie sets her sights on a caterpillar and, at the same time, meets her usual nemesis, Gerald, who she will have to deal with to save her from turning into a butterfly.