Disney Debuts Taika Waititi-Directed Holiday Short

Disney has unveiled a new holiday short, The Boy and The Octopus, directed by Oscar-winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, The Hunt For the Wilderpeople).

The 4-minute film, which dropped on YouTube Tuesday, follows the tale of a young boy who encounters a curious octopus while snorkeling on a seaside vacation. The persistent mollusk attaches itself to the boy’s head and becomes his constant companion.

Back home, the duo enjoys an array of products featuring Disney-owned IP, including a Buzz Lightyear action figure, a Star Wars Jedi lightsaber, and a Mickey Mouse beanie.

While watching the Disney holiday film The Santa Clause (1994), they hatch a plan to sneak the octopus onto Santa’s sleigh so he can travel the world. (How exactly a sea creature will survive in the North Pole is not explained – perhaps Disney will follow that up in a sequel). All this is set to a soundtrack featuring a new orchestral version of “Part of Your World” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989).

Waititi has directed several films for Disney, including Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and Jojo Rabbit (2019), and Next Goal Wins (2023) for Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures. He was also an executive producer of Hulu’s Reservation Dogs, What We Do in the Shadows, and the upcoming limited series, Interior Chinatown.

The short was created together with ad agencies adam&eveDDB and Untold Studios, and produced by Hungry Man.

You can check out the short below.