Us Again (film)

Us Again is an American 3D computer-animated short film directed and written by Zach Parrish and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Attached to theatrical prints of Raya and the Last Dragon, the short was released on March 5, 2021.

Us Again
Official poster
Directed byZach Parrish
Written byZach Parrish
Produced byBrad Simonsen
Edited byJesse Averna
Music byPinar Toprak
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release date
  • March 3, 2021 (2021-03-03) (Netherlands)
  • March 5, 2021 (2021-03-05) (United States)
Running time
7 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

As the people of a vibrant city inspired by Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles[1] dance to the beat of the music, the elderly Art stays in his apartment and grumpily watches TV. His wife, Dot, enters and tries to have him get out and enjoy the day. He refuses, leaving her heartbroken. Art soon regrets this decision and looks upon a photo of himself and Dot when they were young and full of life. He steps out on the fire escape of his home when it suddenly begins to rain. The rain makes him younger and rejuvenates him, prompting him to set out into the city to look for Dot.

Art and Dot encounter each other, with the latter also having become young through the rain, at a water fountain and begin to dance vibrantly through the streets. When the rain clouds begin to move, the dryness reverts them to old age. Art begins dragging Dot through the city in an attempt to remain young with her. They flee to Paradise Pier with Dot willingly falling behind while Art continues to chase the rain clouds. Eventually, the clouds leave completely and Art reverts to an old man along with Dot.

Art walks back and sees Dot sitting by herself on a bench and joins her. The two look into each other's eyes and wordlessly acknowledge their love for one another. Art and Dot proceed to dance together, though not as vibrantly as before, as a younger couple watches them admirably from afar. The rain puddle beneath them reflects their younger selves.

Production

Development

In February 2021, it was announced that theatrical showings of Raya and the Last Dragon would be accompanied by a new short film, Us Again.[2] Zach Parrish, who wrote and directed Us Again, previously helmed the short film Puddles (2020), which is part of the Short Circuit short series.[3] Pinar Toprak composed the soundtrack for the short.[4][5] Us Again was the first original theatrical short film produced by Disney since Inner Workings in 2016.[2][6]

Release

Us Again was theatrically released on March 5, 2021, in front of Raya and the Last Dragon.[7] The film began streaming on Disney+ on June 4, 2021.[3]

Critical response

Pramit Chatterjee of Mashable gave the short a 5 out of 5 rating, saying it is "a beautifully directed and choreographed short film that features such amazing animation (The colours, the water, the bokeh shots, the skin texture, everything is mind-blowingly perfect and there's even a Gene Kelly-Singin' in the Rain reference) that it'll make you wish it was a full-length feature film".[8] Umesh Punwani of Koimoi gave the short film 4 stars out of 5, saying that "the dance choreographed by Keone and Mari Madrid is so beautifully brought to life digitally by multiple storyboard artists."[9][10] Samantha Labat of CinemaBlend gave a positive review by saying, "the animation is so beautiful and real that you forget you're not looking into actual human faces."[11]

References
  1. Koepel, Kari (March 17, 2021). "Director Zach Parrish on the Inspiration Behind the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short "Us Again"". Disney.com. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  2. Chitwood, Adam (February 15, 2021). "Disney Animation's First New Short Film in 5 Years Will Debut Exclusively in Theaters with 'Raya and the Last Dragon'". Collider. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  3. Ramos, Dino-Ray (February 15, 2021). "Disney To Release Theatrical Animated Short 'Us Again' Alongside 'Raya And The Last Dragon'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  4. "Pinar Toprak Scoring Zach Parrish's Disney Animated Short 'Us Again'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  5. Stone, Sam (March 6, 2021). "'Us Again' Filmmakers on Making the First Disney Animated Short in Five Years". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  6. White, James (February 15, 2021). "Disney Debuts New Animated Short Film Us Again". Empire Online. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  7. Bui, Hoai-Tran (February 15, 2021). "'Us Again' First Look: Disney's First Theatrical Animated Short in Five Years is an Ode to Dance". /Film. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  8. Chatterjee, Pramit (March 2, 2021). "'Us Again' Review: A Vibrant Disney Animated Short Musical On The Struggles Of Accepting Old Age". Mashable. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  9. Punwani, Umesh (March 3, 2021). "Disney's 'Us Again' Review (Short Film): An Alternate Ending To 'La La Land' In A Parallel Universe!". Koimoi. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  10. Sharma, Jeevesh (March 3, 2021). "Disney's 'Us Again' Review (Short Film): An Alternate Ending To 'La La Land' In A Parallel Universe!". News Rush. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  11. Labat, Samantha (March 5, 2021). "'Us Again', The First Walt Disney Animation Short In 5 Years, Will Make You Cry". CinemaBlend. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
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