People & Places is a series of short subject documentary films released by Walt Disney Productions from 1953 to 1960 and was later revived in 2024. The original series (except The Alaskan Eskimo, Siam, Sardinia, and The Blue Men of Morocco) was filmed in CinemaScope in various locations around the world.
The original series received critical acclaim, including four Academy Award nominations and three wins for Best Two Reel Live Action Short.
In October 2019, Disney announced the studio would revive the series for the Disney+ streaming service, with the production company Supper Club producing the initial releases. [1] In November 2023, Disney acquired the short subject documentary film Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó by filmmaker Sean Wang. The short had premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in March 2023 and relaunched the series in February 2024; [2] Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó would start airing on Disney+ on February 9, 2024. The short received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film.
# | Title | Release date | Director | Home release | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Alaskan Eskimo | February 18, 1953 | James Algar | Won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short | |
2 | Siam | December 24, 1954 | Ralph Wright | Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Two Reel) | |
3 | Switzerland | June 16, 1955 | Ben Sharpsteen | Released with Lady and the Tramp . Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Two Reel) | |
4 | Men Against the Arctic | December 21, 1955 | Winston Hibler | Released with both The Littlest Outlaw and The Great Locomotive Chase . Won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short | |
5 | Sardinia | February 15, 1956 | Ben Sharpsteen | ||
6 | Disneyland, U.S.A. | December 20, 1956 | Hamilton S. Luske | Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland-Secrets, Stories and Magic | Released with Westward Ho, the Wagons! . |
7 | Samoa | December 25, 1956 | Ben Sharpsteen | Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Two Reel) | |
8 | Blue Men of Morocco | February 14, 1957 | Ralph Wright | Released with a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs re-release | |
9 | Lapland | July 3, 1957 | Ben Sharpsteen | Released with a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs re-release | |
10 | Portugal | December 25, 1957 | Ben Sharpsteen | Released with Old Yeller . Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. | |
11 | Wales | June 10, 1958 | Geoffrey Foot | ||
12 | Scotland | June 11, 1958 | Geoffrey Foot | ||
13 | Ama Girls | July 9, 1958 | Ben Sharpsteen | Won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject Documentary. Released with The Light in the Forest . Later released on 16mm as Japan Harvests the Sea. | |
14 | Seven Cities of Antarctica | December 25, 1958 | Winston Hibler | Released with Tonka | |
15 | Cruise of the Eagle | March 19, 1959 | Ben Sharpsteen | Released with The Shaggy Dog | |
16 | Japan | April 6, 1960 | Ben Sharpsteen | ||
17 | The Danube | April 27, 1960 | Ben Sharpsteen |
# | Title | Release date | Director | Home release | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó | February 9, 2024 | Sean Wang | Streamed on Disney+ | |
"Disneyland U.S.A." was released as part of the limited edition Disney Treasures DVD entitled "Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland Secrets, Stories & Magic".
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves. Inspired by such silent film personalities as Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, Mickey is traditionally characterized as a sympathetic underdog who gets by on pluck and ingenuity in the face of challenges bigger than himself. The character's depiction as a small mouse is personified through his diminutive stature and falsetto voice, the latter of which was originally provided by Disney. Mickey is one of the world's most recognizable and universally acclaimed fictional characters.
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Sean Wang is a Los Angeles-based film director whose first feature-length film, Dìdi, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the U.S. Dramatic audience award. His documentary short, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, originally premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival, where it won both the audience and grand jury award and then went on to be nominated for the 96th Academy Awards.
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó is a 2023 documentary short directed by Sean Wang about his Chinese immigrant paternal and maternal grandmothers. It was acquired by Disney Entertainment for distribution and premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on February 9, 2024. The film is nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the 96th Academy Awards.