# Short Circuit (2020 TV series)
**Short Circuit** (also known as *Walt Disney Animation Studios: Short Circuit Experimental Films*) is an anthology series of animated short films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios for Disney+, in which any employee of the studio can pitch an idea and, if selected, direct their own short film.[1](https://www.disneyanimation.com/disney-plus-originals/short-circuit/) The program began inside the studio in 2016 as an internal experiment; its films were first released publicly as a Disney+ original series on January 24, 2020.[2](https://www.disneyanimation.com/publications/how-short-circuit-experiments-experimental-filmmaking-at-walt-disney-animation-studios/) • [3](https://epguides.com/ShortCircuit/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Anthology of independent animated short films by Walt Disney Animation Studios staff, streaming on Disney+[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/short-circuit/) |
| Program founded | 2016, as an internal experimental program at Walt Disney Animation Studios[2](https://www.disneyanimation.com/publications/how-short-circuit-experiments-experimental-filmmaking-at-walt-disney-animation-studios/) |
| Season 1 | 14 shorts, all released January 24, 2020[3](https://epguides.com/ShortCircuit/) |
| Season 2 | 5 shorts premiered August 4, 2021, with a sixth, *Reflect*, on September 14, 2022[5](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/short_circuit_fact_sheet_disney_dbcc1bff.pdf) • [3](https://epguides.com/ShortCircuit/) |
| Selection | Blind review of pitches by a committee of as many as ten filmmakers and creative development staff[6](https://d23.com/inside-the-imaginative-second-season-of-short-circuit/) |
| Stated goals | Taking risks in visual style and story, surfacing new voices, and experimenting with new technology[7](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/short_circuit_s2_production_notes_d98d4704.pdf) |
| Later releases | *Life Drawings* and *Maddie & the Test* premiered March 18, 2026[8](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/disney-animation-short-circuit/) |
## Spoilers
### Season 1 (2020)
The first season collected fourteen shorts, all released on Disney+ on January 24, 2020: *Puddles* (Zach Parrish), *Exchange Student* (Natalie Nourigat), *Lucky Toupée* (Nikki Mull), *Just a Thought* (Brian Menz), *Cycles* (Jeff Gipson), *Lightning in a Bottle* (John Virgilio Aquino), *The Race* (Terry Moews), *Hair-Jitsu* (Brian Estrada), *Downtown* (Kendra Vander Vliet), *Jing Hua* (Jerry Huynh), *Drop* (Trent Correy), *Zenith* (Jennifer Stratton), *Elephant in the Room* (Brian Scott), and *Fetch* (Mitch Counsell).[1](https://www.disneyanimation.com/disney-plus-originals/short-circuit/) • [3](https://epguides.com/ShortCircuit/) The chosen directors ranged across career stages, from production assistant and modeler to a Head of Animation.[9](https://news.disney.com/walt-disney-animation-studios-is-about-to-drop-14-new-shorts-on-disney) The first shorts had been screened at D23 Expo before the series launched on Disney+.[13](https://wdwnt.com/2026/03/two-new-short-circuit-short-films-now-on-disney/)
Several directors brought outside influences into their shorts. Jerry Huynh, a technical director who had worked on *Moana* and *[Ralph Breaks the Internet](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralph-breaks-the-internet)*, directed *Jing Hua* (Flower in the Mirror); Brian Menz based *Just a Thought* on pre-teen awkwardness and the newspaper comics he grew up with; Natalie Nourigat, who began her career drawing comics, carried that background into *Exchange Student*.[14](https://news.disney.com/disney-plus-short-circuit)
### Season 2 (2021–2022) and later releases
Season 2 marked the fifth anniversary of the program's inception and premiered on August 4, 2021 with five shorts: *Crosswalk* (Ryan Green), about a law-abiding citizen who must find his inner strength to cross the street at a light that will not change; *Going Home* ([Jacob Frey](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacob-frey)), about a young adult revisiting his hometown and facing change; *No. 2 to Kettering* (Liza Rhea); *Dinosaur Barbarian* (Kim Hazel), about a superhero facing everyday chores; and *Songs to Sing in the Dark* (Riannon Delanoy).[5](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/short_circuit_fact_sheet_disney_dbcc1bff.pdf) • [6](https://d23.com/inside-the-imaginative-second-season-of-short-circuit/) A sixth short, *Reflect*, followed on September 14, 2022.[3](https://epguides.com/ShortCircuit/)
*Dinosaur Barbarian* used hand-drawn 2D animation in the style of 1980s television cartoons, complete with a theme song by the Mondo Boys that names the show in the manner of that era's titles; Hazel worked with 2D veterans including Mark Henn, Alex Kupershmidt, and Randy Haycock, and for several character animators it was their first professional 2D work on a Disney project.[15](https://news.disney.com/5-new-shorts-coming-exclusively-to-disney-plus) • [6](https://d23.com/inside-the-imaginative-second-season-of-short-circuit/)
New shorts continued to appear after the numbered seasons. On March 18, 2026, Disney+ premiered *Life Drawings*, directed by Larry Wu, a studio veteran since 2004 whose credits include *Tangled*, *Frozen*, and *Moana 2*, and *Maddie & the Test*, directed by Heather M. Roberts Russell, whose pitch was inspired by her niece, who has dyslexia; the short follows 10-year-old Maddie facing a test and her anxiety, combining hand-drawn animation.[8](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/disney-animation-short-circuit/) A special titled *Versa* aired on Disney+ on March 27, 2026.[16](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/short-circuit/seasons/official/0)
## Program and selection process
The program was created in 2016, at first with no plan for public release. The shorts were produced to explore new technology, let artists take risks in visuals and story, and surface new talent from within the studio; only after Disney+ was announced did the studio decide to put the films on the streaming service.[9](https://news.disney.com/walt-disney-animation-studios-is-about-to-drop-14-new-shorts-on-disney) Animator Zach Parrish, who directed the short *Puddles*, pitched it in 2015 during production of *Zootopia*; it was one of the first six films green-lit together, and nearly three years passed between the film's completion and its public release.[10](https://whatsondisneyplus.com/an-interview-with-short-circuit-director-zach-parrish-puddles/)
Pitches are judged without knowing who wrote them. Production manager Jennifer Newfield receives pitches, works with filmmakers to refine them, and submits them to a committee of studio filmmakers, feature development directors, technology representatives, and visual effects supervisors that reviews them blindly.[11](https://directorsnotes.com/2021/08/03/disney-short-circuit-season-two/) Jennifer Lee, chief creative officer of [Walt Disney Animation Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-animation-studios), described the program as open to everyone within the studio, with projects selected on their merits and without knowing who is making the pitch.[6](https://d23.com/inside-the-imaginative-second-season-of-short-circuit/) Each selected director works with the support of the studio and fellow artists, with a set time and budget to realize their vision; the timeframe has evolved from roughly three to four months at the start to a rolling schedule fitted around directors' feature-film commitments.[7](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/short_circuit_s2_production_notes_d98d4704.pdf) • [11](https://directorsnotes.com/2021/08/03/disney-short-circuit-season-two/)
The program also functions as a director-training pathway. Newfield described it as a place to give anyone at the studio the opportunity to become a Disney Animation director, and it doubles as a way to test new artist tools and technology for feature films.[12](https://www.disneyexaminer.com/p/disney-animations-experimental-short-circuit-season-2-program-is-building-up-new-directors) The studio presented the program's methods in a SIGGRAPH 2020 talk, "How Short Circuit Experiments," by Newfield and Josh Staub, covering how small teams achieved distinct storytelling and art styles and how lessons from the program fed back into studio filmmaking.[2](https://www.disneyanimation.com/publications/how-short-circuit-experiments-experimental-filmmaking-at-walt-disney-animation-studios/)
## Relation to SparkShorts and reception
Commentators regularly compare Short Circuit with Pixar Animation Studios' SparkShorts program, which likewise lets artists pitch projects and directs on a smaller scale to discover new storytellers and experiment with production workflows.[13](https://wdwnt.com/2026/03/two-new-short-circuit-short-films-now-on-disney/) • [17](https://www.pixar.com/sparkshorts) Common Sense Media described the series as showcasing short films produced by emerging Disney talent, noting that the films are short enough that most do not carry a stated moral.[18](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/short-circuit) On IMDb the series held a public rating of 7.4 out of 10 as reported by one listing.[19](https://movieplayer.it/serietv/corto-circuito_6411/)
## References
1. [Short Circuit, Walt Disney Animation Studios official page](https://www.disneyanimation.com/disney-plus-originals/short-circuit/)
2. [Jennifer Newfield, Josh Staub. How Short Circuit Experiments: Experimental Filmmaking at Walt Disney Animation Studios, SIGGRAPH 2020](https://www.disneyanimation.com/publications/how-short-circuit-experiments-experimental-filmmaking-at-walt-disney-animation-studios/)
3. [Short Circuit, a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://epguides.com/ShortCircuit/)
4. [Short Circuit (2020), TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/short-circuit/)
5. [Short Circuit Season 2 fact sheet, Walt Disney Animation Studios](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/short_circuit_fact_sheet_disney_dbcc1bff.pdf)
6. [Inside the Imaginative Second Season of Short Circuit, D23](https://d23.com/inside-the-imaginative-second-season-of-short-circuit/)
7. [Short Circuit Season 2 production notes, Walt Disney Animation Studios](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/short_circuit_s2_production_notes_d98d4704.pdf)
8. ['Life Drawings' and 'Maddie & the Test' on Disney+, The Walt Disney Company](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/disney-animation-short-circuit/)
9. [Walt Disney Animation Studios Just Dropped 14 New Shorts on Disney+, Disney News](https://news.disney.com/walt-disney-animation-studios-is-about-to-drop-14-new-shorts-on-disney)
10. [An Interview with Short Circuit Director Zach Parrish ("Puddles"), What's On Disney Plus](https://whatsondisneyplus.com/an-interview-with-short-circuit-director-zach-parrish-puddles/)
11. [Disney's 'Short Circuit' Season Two Shows off the Animation Studio's More Experimental Side, Directors Notes](https://directorsnotes.com/2021/08/03/disney-short-circuit-season-two/)
12. [Disney Animation's experimental Short Circuit program is building up new directors, DisneyExaminer](https://www.disneyexaminer.com/p/disney-animations-experimental-short-circuit-season-2-program-is-building-up-new-directors)
13. [Two New 'Short Circuit' Short Films Now on Disney+, WDW News Today](https://wdwnt.com/2026/03/two-new-short-circuit-short-films-now-on-disney/)
14. [Learn About the New Animated Shorts Coming to Disney+ in Spring 2020, Disney News](https://news.disney.com/disney-plus-short-circuit)
15. [5 New Shorts Coming Exclusively to Disney+, Disney News](https://news.disney.com/5-new-shorts-coming-exclusively-to-disney-plus)
16. [Short Circuit, Specials, TheTVDB.com](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/short-circuit/seasons/official/0)
17. [SparkShorts, Pixar Animation Studios](https://www.pixar.com/sparkshorts)
18. [Short Circuit, Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/short-circuit)
19. [Corto circuito (Serie TV 2020), Movieplayer.it](https://movieplayer.it/serietv/corto-circuito_6411/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Comedy and slice-of-life series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license