''Short Circuit'' is a series of American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s produced by

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

. Similar to the '' SparkShorts'' program launched at sister animation studio

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

, the series is a program in which the employees pitch their ideas for a short and work with fellow employees to create the short if selected, and is meant to take risks in both visual styles and storytelling. The shorts were released exclusively on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

on January 24, 2020. A second cycle of animated shorts premiered on August 4, 2021.

Production

Development on the ''Short Circuit'' program began in 2016. Similar to sister animation studio

's '' SparkShorts'',

launched a program named ''Short Circuit'', consisting of a series of shorts of an experimental nature where any employee working at the studio can pitch an idea and can make a short if selected. In a statement, Disney said that " e goal of this innovative program is to take risks in both visual style and story, surface new voices at the studio, and experiment with new technical innovation". The first short released under the program is ''Cycles'', directed by Jeff Gipson, which is Disney's first VR short.

Episodes

Season 1 (2020)

Season 2 (2021–22)

Unaired shorts

Release

''Short Circuit''s first three shorts, ''Exchange Student'', ''Jing Hua'', and ''Just a Thought'', premiered at Annecy. Later shorts were played at the

El Capitan Theatre El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple (now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre) is owned by The Walt Disney Company and serves as the ...

, attached to ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, ...

'' in selected screenings. The shorts were screened at the

D23 Expo D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, the D23 Expo. The name ''D23'' refers to ''D'' for ''Disney'' and ''23' ...

. The shorts were publicly released on January 24, 2020, on

. Unlike most original Disney+ content, the shorts were released all at once, instead of being released on a weekly basis. One day after its release, the short ''Drop'' was temporarily removed from the service, due to technical issues with the intro to the short. It has since been added back. Five new shorts premiered on August 4, 2021.

Reception

Critical response

Petrana Radulovic of ''

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed '' polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two t ...

'' called ''Short Circuit'' a "reinvented ''

Fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

''": writing: "''Short Circuit'' proves that the Fantasia format still works for the streaming age — with a few little tweaks here and there. With such a wide range of visual styles and stories that span from cute childhood adventures to poignant heartbreak, the anthology is absolutely worth a watch". Ashley Moulton of ''

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

'' gave ''Short Circuit'' a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, calling an animated shorts "delightful".

Notes

References

{{Disney Animated short film series Film series introduced in 2020 Disney animated short films Disney animated television series Disney+ original programming