The makers of the fantastic new brief Once Upon a Studio used outtakes from Robin Williams’ Genie periods to function the character.
Disney has been commemorating their a hundredth anniversary all yr lengthy. From theme park celebrations to a massive 100-film box set, the studio has gone all-out for the special day. But their most up-to-date brief movie, the stay motion/animation hybrid Once Upon a Studio — now out there for streaming on Disney+ — is likely to be probably the most touching of all. And whereas it’s crammed with tons of of cameos, one which stands out is Genie from Aladdin, voiced by none aside from Robin Williams — not simply within the 1992 basic however in Once Upon a Studio as properly.
It has been greater than 9 years since Robin Williams’ devastating dying however these behind Once Upon a Studio knew that not solely was the presence of Genie essential, however so was getting the voice. After all, Williams made him probably the most beloved characters within the studio’s historical past. Thankfully, Williams wasn’t resurrected through the use of AI however relatively unused audio from the recording periods. And contemplating he recorded properly over 24 hours value of dialogue, the staff positively had a wealth to select from.
As producer Bradford Simonsen informed Variety, not solely was acquiring Robin Williams’ Genie voice obligatory however Disney additionally wished the blessing of the property. “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 [Abraham, co-director] 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 [Goldberg, artist], 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.”
While a Disney celebration of this magnitude wouldn’t be full with out Robin Williams’ Genie — who seems alongside Olaf from Frozen — one does marvel how the comic would have felt contemplating he had a falling out with the House of Mouse over their use of the character regarding advertising and marketing and tie-in merchandise.
How do you assume Disney did with Robin Williams and Genie in Once Upon a Studio? What was your favourite second from the brief?
