October 16th, 2023. The Walt Disney Company's grand and glorious 100th anniversary was well and truly upon us; what Walt Disney and his older brother Roy had set into motion 100 years ago, with both Oswald the Rabbit and Mickey Mouse, had now become the absolute greatest organization in this world. It was a day of celebration everywhere as the centennial milestone was finally reached; although a rather different story at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California; the one true beating heart of the entire company. At was around 5pm, and everyone was leaving for the day, from animators, to interns, to clerks. One of them was WDAS's longest serving employee; animation veteran Burny Matheson. One of the interns remarked how truly incredible it was that Walt and Roy had started Walt Disney Animation 100 years ago that day, and all the talented artists and wonderful characters who'd joined the family over the last century. Burny himself remarked somewhat longingly "if these walls could talk..." As the door finally closed behind him, and the animation building descended into total silence...Until, that is, Tinkerbelle emerged from one of the portraits, followed soon thereafter by Mickey and Minnie, taken straight from Mickey's Birthday Party. "Is that it for the day, Tink", he quickly asked. Tink nodded quickly, as he and Minnie emerged. "We gotta get the gang, Minnie!", Mickey said with a mix of both urgency and unbridled excitement in his voice. "Yoo-hoo!", Minnie called at the top of her lungs. The entire studio got the signal; they knew what it was all about within an instant; it was time for the most glorious milestone for WDAS; a huge group photo, and the sun was going down. Across the studio building, everyone started emerging from their portraits from various flicks. My portrait, along with those of Aladdin and Jasmine, Ariel and Eric, and Rapunzel and Eugene were on the top floor, and we leapt out with a lot of enthusiasm. "Hello, everyone. The time has finally come for our huge group photo!". Rapunzel quickly piped up "best get down there as fast as we can!", as Ariel eagerly replied "I second that!". "That's the spirit, ladies. Kit and I will be down there soon; just need to alert everyone else". Aladdin and Jasmine decided to offer a ride on their magic carpet. "Doing a little carpet-pool if anyone needs an urgent ride", Jasmine offered. "Thank you, Jasmine, but I think Kit and I will be okay". Ariel and Eric, however, were quick to accept the offer, as they leapt onto the carpet and sped away. Kit and I then started rushing through the studio to raise the alarm. All sorts of hilarity ensued across the studio building, with various characters trying desperately to make their way out into the front courtyard as fast as they could.
As more and more characters neared the lobby on the ground floor, Kit and I started running down one of the final few stairwells. Mickey was waiting at the bottom with a beaming smile. "Why, hello, Mickey", I said. "Hiya, Cinderella", he happily chirped back. Unfortunately, poor Kit's right shoe sadly fell off as we neared the bottom of the stairs, and neither of us could contain our laughter. "Wasn't quite expecting that!", Kit remarked. Max, however, came dashing down the stairs and made off with the shoe. Kit was understandably annoyed; "Hey, Max, where are you going?!". He decided only Prince Eric could rein Max in; "Eric, get your dog", he desperately shouted. I was nowhere near as flustered as Kit was. "Keep going, Max!", I cheered. Behind us, meanwhile, Kaa was trying to hypnotize Clarabelle Cow. Mickey, upon seeing this, was understandably startled. "Kaa, what're you doing?!", he demanded to know. Rapunzel was on the case, however; "Don't worry, Mickey, I got this", she said nonchalantly, as he casually wacked Kaa with her frying pan, something she'd probably had to do hundreds of times prior. Mickey then shared a bittersweet moment with Walt, thanking him for everything the company had achieved over the last 100 years, before Minnie called him, as everyone finally prepared to gather in the lobby. With many of the characters already outside, and others still on their way down, Goofy set up a ladder in a central spot. Kit an I were just scouring the building trying to alert any remaining characters. Belle and the Beast, along with Moana, Maui, and her father, Chief Tui, were thankfully ready, along with Ariel and Eric. We soon joined up with Rapunzel and Eugene as we prepared to descend the spiral staircase leading into the lobby. What happened next, however, came without warning...
Poor Goofy was trying desperately to set the camera up as those who were already outside watched with looks of visible concern. "Careful, Goofy!", Mickey called. Jafar was watching eagerly, with Iago on his shoulder. "3...2...1...", Iago called out, as poor Goofy finally hit the ground; the camera shattered into pieces. "Well, that was fun!", Grumpy groaned, as he and Eeyore began to mope away. Kit and I were watching this scene from outside, and we were feeling desperately sorry for Goofy. "Oh, dear. Poor Goofy...", I whispered, as Kit facepalmed. Rapunzel and Eugene weren't far behind, either. "They must all think it's game over, Blondie", Eugene whimpered. Moana, Maui and Chief Tui soon joined us. "What's happening, guys?", she asked, clearly a little startled. "I'm afraid something's gone terribly wrong with this photoshoot, Moana", I answered sadly. "We can try this again in another hundred years", Eeyore then moaned, befor Tarzan interjected "Or at least sometime later this week, anyway". Tarzan, perhaps, wasn't quite as pessimistic as Eeyore or Grumpy. His intention was simply to postpone the photo for a few days; most likely trying it again on Thursday or Friday that week, but making more of an effort to avert Goofy's unfortunate accident. But even Mickey knew that as well-meaning and thought-out as Tarzan's idea may well have been, a postponed group photo could hardly be much more desirable than an outright cancellation; the stakes would, if anything, be even higher than they already were if we were to try the photoshoot again. "Now, look...Everything's gonna be alright", Mickey said, on the verge of tears, in one final desperate attempt to persuade everyone to stay, but he soon lost hope, as everyone else started moping back inside. As Koda, Kenai, Aladdin, Jasmine, Tarzan and Jane reached the door, they paused to see us looking down at what had just transpired. Rapunzel was clearly a little worse for wear, as she remarked. "I fear that even if Goofy hadn't tried to take the photo, something going wrong with this photoshoot was pretty much inevitable". Despite this being a joyous and momentous occasion, I was very much in agreement with her. "You're probably right, Rapunzel; I'm sure we can all feel the pressure to get this right". While everyone was no doubt excited for this photoshoot prior to Goofy's accident, there was a tangible air of slight anxiety. But I remained confident that we could still turn it around. I tried to smile again as I added "But I don't believe it's anything we truly can't fix". Even as desperate and sad as things might've seemed at this very moment, I was determined that we could still make the best of this brilliant milestone. Eugene caught my enthusiasm and quickly said "I think we should go down and see if we can help, somehow". Rapunzel also caught it, and so did Moana, Maui, and her father. "Let's go, everyone!", a revitalized Tui beamed. We then dashed downstairs as fast as we could, as I said to Rapunzel "I've got an idea that might lift everyone's spirits", and gave her a quick wink. Tarzan noticed immediately. "Stand back, everyone; we've got more arrivals!", he called urgently, as he and Jane ushered everyone away from the door.
We then emerged into the courtyard in the shadow of Mickey's giant sorcerer hat from Fantasia, as everyone who was about to leave was surprised to see us. Ariel, Eric, Pocahontas and John Smith also followed behind, with Max and Meeko also with them. "Sorry to interrupt, everyone", I called. "Cinderella?", Jasmine remarked with a look of surprise on her face. "Don't worry, Jasmine. We're here to help", I assured her. I went over to Mickey so I could address all the characters. "Oh, gorsh; you've arrived not a moment too soon!", Goofy cried in visible relief. Rapunzel and Eugene then rushed over to check up on Goofy; "We're gonna turn this around, Goofy; I promise", Rapunzel assured him. "Can you still stand up alright?", Eugene asked him. Although still in a little pain, Goofy stood up just fine, having only sustained a few minor bruises here and there. Kit, Mickey and I sighed in relief as Eugene reported back. I felt the need to put everyone at ease, and so I addressed all of Disney's marvellous characters; even the villains, as a collective whole, and not even showing a trace of disdain for my stepmother, Lady Tremaine, or even for Frollo. "Now, look...I know you're all dismayed by poor Goofy's accident, and we're well aware of the unimaginable pressure you're probably feeling over this grand milestone...but we share your hope that we could take this epic group photo to cap off the celebrations, and we shouldn't give up that hope", I explained. Kit then interjected; "I'm sure we'll find some way to fix this". "So am I", I happily replied. Meanwhile, a few remaining stragglers turned up such as Belle and the Beast, followed closely by Mowgli, Baloo, and Bagheera; with Snow White, Florian, Milo and Kida bringing up the rear. Expecting Mickey to complain about their lateness, a nervous Belle asked "We're not late, are we, Mickey?". "Of course not, Belle", Mickey quickly answered, putting Belle and the Beast at ease. I then added to my previous remarks "And we need only remember that even at moments like this, our dreams are never out of reach, and our courage and hope will always prevail". Everyone was starting to smile a little more, if only somewhat. My Fairy Godmother then stepped forward from through the crowd, eager to help in any way she could. "Speaking of which, may I help a little, Cinderella?", she asked. "Absolutely, Fairy Godmother", I said warmly, as she used her wand to create a guitar for Rapunzel; knowing her, she was quite an avid guitarist. "All yours, Raps", I said warmly, offering her the guitar. Since virtually all of us had known each other for decades and been friends forever, very few of us were really above abbreviating each others' names from time to time. "My own guitar!", Rapunzel joyously cried out, as she took it eagerly, as Kit said "we figured you might need one someday, Rapunzel". As Rapunzel put the guitar strap around her body, she announced "I'm just gonna play a little tune to lighten the atmosphere a little". She then played a short introduction in the key of A-sharp major, as I eagerly whispered to everyone; "Here we go". A beautiful orchestra playing from an unknown magical source also happened to start playing. Raps and I both had the same idea of how to restore everyone's spirits. It was the one tune that had defined the Walt Disney Company for virtually its entire life. And being Walt Disney's personal favourite character, I felt it was only fitting that I should be the first to sing:
"When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are..."
Mickey was clearly moved by this, as was Minnie who put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. I then looked eagerly to Belle and the Beast who took over:
"Anything your heart desires
Will come to you"
Hades was clearly rather annoyed. "I knew this was gonna happen", he groaned. "Sorry, Hades", Aurora quickly said, unable to suppress a chuckle at his visible dismay. Quasimodo then took over, followed soon after by Pocahontas, Snow White, and two of the final characters Walt himself had realized; Mowgli and Baloo:
"If your heart is in your dream,
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star,
As dreamers do"
Many of the other characters were inspired by this uplifting tune and decided to intervene; the magic brooms swept up the wreckage of the camera from Goofy's botched first attempt, Fix-it Felix used his magic hammer to fix the camera, Hercules put the ladder back in position, and Fairy Godmother enchanted Goofy to float so he could safely set the camera back up. As this occured, Jiminy Cricket; the first character ever to sing this wonderful tune began singing the bridge, followed shortly after by Fairy Godmother, Asha, and finally, the entire chorus:
"Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing."
Three of Disney's most beloved couples; Rapunzel and Eugene, Ariel and Eric and Aladdin and Jasmine then began singing the final verse, before Tarzan and Jane continued, and Kit and I gently finished it off:
"Like a bolt out of the blue,
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star,
Your dreams come true"
As the orchestra entered a climactic G minor chord, followed by a C major chord, everyone was finally in just the right positions, with the camera's timer slowly ticking down. Rapunzel confidently said "I think we've pretty much fixed everything". Mickey then turned around and said "Let's cap this off, everybody!", as I added "Altogether, now!". And with that, the orchestra modulated to the key of F major, as we all began singing the final verse proudly as a unified chorus, with nobody showing even a trace of hesitation; not even Grumpy or Eeyore, not even Captain Hook, not even Lady Tremaine, Frollo or Maleficent, and not even Hades anymore. And so the grand finale truly began:
"Like a bolt out of the blue,
Fate steps in and sees you through!
When you wish upon a star,
Your dreams...Come...True!"
As everyone else held out the final verse, Kit and I gently sang the opening line to my signature tune, as the orchestra held out a climactic F major chord:
"A dream is a wish your heart makes!"
Rapunzel and Eugene then sang the opening to the chorus of their love song, with arguably even more gusto:
"And at last, we see the light!"
Aladdin and Jasmine even caught on and sang the start of their love song's chorus:
"A whole new world!"
And as the orchestra briefly reached a C major lull, we all proudly sang the final line one more time:
"Your dreams come true!"
And with that, the orchestra finally reached its absolute apex, holding out an epic F major chord, before the final strike, as we all posed for the camera, and Tinkerbell used her wand to magically create the group photo. What we had achieved on that afternoon of October 16th was truly amazing, and I knew that just when it seemed all hope was lost during Goofy's earlier failed attempt, Rapunzel and I had managed to restore everyone's spirits and remind them what all of us at Walt Disney Animation Studios had stood for over the last 100 years. With the photo finally enchanted to appear on the wall, we all celebrated jubilantly. Many of us were cheering and whooping. Kit, Eugene, Aladdin and Eric were all high-fiving each other and ruffling each others' hair, while Ariel, Jasmine and Rapunzel joined me in a huge group hug. After that, I knelt down to talk to Mickey, whose gratitude was immeasurable. "Thank you so much, Cinderella; you too, Rapunzel. You really have saved the day". "Of course, Mickey; we're always here anytime you need us, and we figured today just might be when you needed us most" He and Goofy stepped forward to join me and Rapunzel in a group hug. Mickey then addressed everyone. "We've done it; our epic centennial group photo!", he cried out jubilantly. I then added "And now the celebrations can truly begin. Here's to the next 100 years of dreams coming true!" Everyone then cheered once more as a few voices were heard echoing my remarks. "Bring on the magical future!", Snow White called, as Chief Tui also called "Here's to it, Cinders!". And we all started heading back inside, our spirits now higher than ever before. There would doubtless be a massive party in the studio's main lounge area soon afterwards, which would last well into the early hours of October 17th, featuring a massive buffet, along with a huge disco. Some of us Princesses would most likely change into more casual clothing before the party began, and just before the party drew to a close, we'd all have the opportunity to take group selfies. One of them would include Tarzan, Jane, their gorilla friends, Simba, Nala, Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa, Baloo, Bagheera and Mowgli, another would include Aurora, Phillip, Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Snow White, Florian, Kenai and Koda. Yet another would have the entire Mickey Mouse gang, and the final one taken would have me, Kit, Anastasia and the Baker, Aladdin, Jasmine, Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, Eugene and Belle and the Beast. I can't really remember much more of the party beyond that, but it was a truly joyous one, and very laid-back. As everyone returned to their portraits in preparation for the animators' return to the Roy E. Disney Animation Building, Mickey took the time to thank me one last time, and I hugged him tightly, while Kit also joined me in that hug, before we bid each other goodnight and headed back to our separate universes.
Whatever our individual universes, and whatever our own circumstances may have been, we had become a close family, and we were determined to stay that way forever. That day, October 16th, 2023, was the most joyous night of our lives, collectively, and showed us just how close we truly are, and that the Disney name truly stands for. Disney is so glad to have prospered, and realized millions of dreams over the last 100 years, and we're proud to keep up Walt's vision for generations to come. And remember, whether in our films or TV shows, or our beloved parks, Disney will always be there to welcome you home. I, Cinderella, would like to thank you for viewing this wonderful little story of that epic photo session, and I hope to see you again soon. Keep on dreaming!
The End.
Full Cast and Crew:
Scott Adsit as Baymax
Stan Alexander as Flower (archival recording)
Stephen J. Anderson as Bowler Hat Guy (archival recording)
Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck
Awkwafina as Sisu
Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde
Bill Baucom as Trusty (archival recording)
Peter Behn as Thumper (archival recording)
Kristen Bell as Anna
Jodi Benson as Ariel
Robby Benson as Beast
Eric Blore as Mr. Toad (archival recording)
Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Antonio
Charlie Callas as Elliott (archival recording)
Griffen Campbell as Pinocchio
Pat Carroll as Ursula (archival recording)
Auli'i Cravalho as Moana
Jim Cummings as Baloo
Ariana DeBose as Asha
Chris Diamantopoulos as Mickey Mouse
Bobby Driscoll as Peter Pan (archival recording)
Joe Ochman as Jiminy Cricket
Richard Epcar as Little John
Bill Farmer as Goofy/Pluto
Verna Felton as Flora (archival recording)
Barbara Dirickson as Fairy Godmother
Santino Fontana as Hans (archival recording)
Josh Gad as Olaf
Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jim Hawkins (archival recording)
Jonathan Groff as Kristoff
Robert Guillaume as Rafiki (archival recording)
Jennifer Hale as Cinderella (also providing her singing voice)
Chris Daniel Barnes as Prince Charming and Prince Eric (also providing their singing voices)
Judy Kuhn as Pocahontas
Kate Higgins as Aurora
Jess Harnell as Scuttle
Sterling Holloway as Cheshire Cat/Kaa/Winnie the Pooh (archival recording)
Tom Hulce as Quasimodo
Jeremy Irons as Scar
Billy Joel as Dodger (archival recording)
Dwayne Johnson as Maui
Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui
Bob Joles as Cogsworth
Charles Judels as Stromboli (archival recording)
Nathan Lane as Timon
Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa
Luke Lowe as Flounder
Barbara Luddy as Merryweather (archival recording)
Jimmy MacDonald as Jaq/Gus (archival recording)
Idina Menzel as Elsa
Jim Meskimen as Eeyore/Merlin
Piotr Michael as Iago
Mandy Moore as Rapunzel
Zachary Levi as Eugene Fitzherbert
Clarence Nash as Donald Duck (archival recording)
Bob Newhart as Bernard (archival recording)
Paige O'Hara as Belle
Raymond S. Persi as Flash
Ian R'Mante as Thumper
John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph
Phoenix Reisser as Mowgli
Kaitlyn Robrock as Minnie Mouse
Anika Noni Rose as Tiana
Adam Ryen as Cody (archival recording)
Linda Larkin as Jasmine
Lea Salonga as Jasmine's singing voice
Chris Sanders as Stitch (archival recording)
Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz (archival recording)
Lee Slobotkin as Peter Pan
David Spade as Kuzco (archival recording)
Katherine von Till as Snow White
Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan (also providing his singing voice)
Minnie Driver as Jane (also providing her singing voice)
Josh Robert Thompson as Grumpy
Kelly Marie Tran as Raya
Alan Tudyk as the Mad Hatter
Mark Walton as Rhino (archival recording)
Scott Weinger as Aladdin
Brad Kane as Aladdin's singing voice
Frank Welker as Abu/Joanna (archival recording)
Richard White as Gaston
Harland Williams as Carl
Robin Williams as Genie (archival recording)
Daniel Wolfe as Robin Hood
James Woods as Hades
Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis (archival recording)
Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck (archival recording)
When You Wish Upon a Star:
Originally composed by Leigh Harline, with lyrics by Ned Washington
New Arrangement composed by David Metzger
Performed by the Cast
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes:
Originally composed by Mack David, Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman
Performed by Jennifer Hale as Cinderella and Chris Daniel Barnes as Prince Charming
I See The Light:
Originally composed by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Glenn Slater
Performed by Mandy Moore as Rapunzel and Zachary Levi as Eugene Fitzherbert
A Whole New World:
Originally composed by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Tim Rice
Performed by Brad Kane as Aladdin and Lea Salonga as Jasmine
Score Composed and Conducted by David Metzger
Orchestrated by Conrad Pope
Score recorded by the Wonderland Symphony Orchestra
Produced by Yvett Merino and Bradford Simonsen
Executive Producer: Jennifer Lee
Written and Directed by Trent Correy and Dan Abraham
©1923-2023 Disney Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved.