I don’t know about the rest of you, but the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving creates a weird limbo for me. While countless people around me embrace the emphasis on pumpkin, or go overboard on their horror decorations for the celebration of all things ghoulish, my mind immediately wanders to Christmas. That’s my jam. I’d decorate the house for Christmas on September 1, then leave the decorations up until March, if it didn’t make my kids look at me funny. Certain movies and TV shows help to boost that holiday spirit inside of me, so I tee them up whenever the chilly season starts to roll around. And top the top of that list, I’m about to add Taika Waititi’s brand new short film The Boy and the Octopus, a gem of a reel with the perfect musical accompaniment.
The Walt Disney Company debut the short The Boy and the Octopus on Tuesday, Nov. 12. I’ll share it below. It features no dialogue as it catches up with a young man vacationing on a seaside holiday who encounters a curious mollusk, who attaches itself to the boy’s head. As the boy returns home, his passion for all things Disney – from Buzz Lightyear to Mickey Mouse – feeds the wonder of the accompanying octopus. And then, once Christmas arrives, the two cook up a whimsical idea that involves Santa, and the beginning of a global adventure.
Here, see for yourself. This is Walt Disney’s charming, beautiful new The Boy and the Octopus, directed by Taika Waititi:
Taika Waititi has a long history with the Walt Disney Studios. The New Zealand filmmaker helmed hit entries in Marvel Studios’ Thor franchise, breathing new life into the series with Thor: Ragnarok, still considered by fans to be one of the best Marvel movies in the MCU. Waititi has played a role in the Star Wars universe over the years as well, even flirting with the idea of helming a Star Wars movie some day. And he broke into the realm of family friendly sports films when he delivered the winning Next Goal Wins with Michael Fassbender… even though he admits he knows a lot more about rugby than he does about soccer.
The bottom line is that Taika Waititi has heart, and he injects it into his projects, as is evidenced by The Boy and the Octopus. Opening up about the collaboration, Waititi said:
The story manages to connect the feelings that you get around the holidays, and the joy, the goodwill and everything, with those same emotions and those same sensibilities you get from Disney films. I think they go hand in hand and it's the perfect match – and only Disney could have made something like this…with me.
The technology used to create the octopus is something to behold. Tim Pennoyer, Director of Brand Marketing at Disney, spoke about the VFX effort that went into animating the octopus, saying:
It was the most complex character Untold Studios has ever brought to life, requiring an incredible level of detail in VFX to capture those intricate movements and transformations that feel both lifelike and relatable to make the character truly magical on screen. It was a huge technical and creative challenge, but we knew it was key to making the story unforgettable. We would spend hours talking through every single scene with the octopus debating each expression on his face, and even the sounds he would make. All these details bring him to life.
It’s well worth the time. This short reminds me very much of another sequence that puts me in the holiday mood every single year, and that’s Jack Skellington visiting Christmas Town in the magnificent The Nightmare Before Christmas. Now, when I sit down to watch that scene each year, I’ll add The Boy and the Octopus right behind it. Bring on the Christmas cheer! I’m officially in the mood.
