Disney Announces ‘An Almost Christmas Story,’ A New Short Directed By David Lowery, Produced By Alfonso Cuarón
A new animated short, An Almost Christmas Story, will debut this fall on Disney+.
Produced by Disney Branded Television, the film is directed by David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon, Peter Pan & Wendy) and produced by five-time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Roma).
Per Disney, the film follows Moon, a curious young owl who unexpectedly finds himself stuck in a Christmas tree destined for Rockefeller Plaza. In his attempts to escape the bustling city, Moon befriends a lost young girl named Luna, and together, they must find a way to reunite with their parents. The film is inspired by the true events of an owl, Rocky – short for Rockefeller, found and rescued from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 2020.
The film is the third and final installment in Cuarón’s holiday shorts collection, which includes two earlier live-action shorts – Le Pupille (nominated for an Oscar in 2023) and The Shepherd (2023).
Cuarón’s Esperanto Filmoj produced the film with Disney Branded Television, in association with Titmouse and Maere Studios, and with animation services by India’s 88 Pictures. Lowery wrote the screenplay and produced in addition to directing, while Cuarón has a story credit. Other key credits include Gabriela Rodríguez (producer), Jack Thorne (story and screenplay), Nicholas Ashe Bateman (creative designer), and Daniel Hart (composer).
Voice cast is led by Cary Christopher (Moon), Estella Madrigal (Luna), Jim Gaffigan (Papa Owl), Mamoudou Athie (Pelly), Alex Ross Perry (Dave The Dog), Gianna Joseph (Peaky), Phil Rosenthal (Punt), Natasha Lyonne (Pat), and John C. Reilly (The Folk Singer), who performs four songs in the short, two of which are originals.
