Although the festive season is a little over a month away, Disney is wasting no time in getting everyone in celebratory spirit as they have unveiled a new holiday short, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Titled The Boy and The Octopus, the 4-minute film is directed by Oscar-winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, The Hunt For the Wilderpeople) and was released on YouTube on Tuesday, November 12.
Produced by Hungry Man, The Boy and The Octopus 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.
Elsewhere in the short, the buddies watch the Disney holiday film The Santa Clause (1994), but with the boy fast asleep while the octopus tries to eat popcorn. The creature soon gets fascinated by a scene showing Santa’s sleigh, and it quickly wakes his friend. With that, they come up with a plan to sneak the octopus onto Santa’s sleigh so he can travel the world. All this is set to a soundtrack featuring a new orchestral version of “Part of Your World” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989).
Taika Waititi’s History with Disney
The acclaimed Waititi is a lot of things: director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and comedian. In addition to an Academy Award, the multifaceted star has received a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award. The Boy and The Octopus is not the only project he has directed for Disney, as others include Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarök (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). He also directed the black comedy film Jojo Rabbit (2019), and Next Goal Wins (2023) for Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures. Furthermore, Waititi was an executive producer of Hulu’s Reservation Dogs, What We Do in the Shadows, and the upcoming limited series Interior Chinatown.
The Boy and The Octopus is available to watch on YouTube. Check it out above!