Disney releases Christmas film from blockbuster director, as he reveals hidden Easter eggs within

Disney has unveiled its holiday short film for 2025, featuring a heartwarming character called "Doodle", played by the iconic John Goodman.

There's a little girl at the centre of the story who writes a Christmas list for Santa and also pops on a small doodle creation for him, too.

The next morning, while opening her presents, one starts to move and in a Christmas miracle, her drawing has come to life!

While she has a fun year with Doodle, it's clear as they approach Christmas again that he longs for a mouth to be able to express himself.

The little girl asks for a Mr Potato Head toy which she can then remove the mouth from and give to her friend who can then speak all he wishes.

Watch the gorgeous film below:

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The director is none other than Taika Waititi, who also created last year's short, The Boy & The Octopus.

Speaking of the film, Waititi said: "What makes this story uniquely Disney is the fact that it's set in the world of a kid. It's a kid and her new best friend, navigating the complex world together, and doing it just with the power of friendship and imagination."

John Goodman added: "I’ve always loved being part of Disney stories because there’s a timelessness to Disney’s storytelling – it's fun, it’s heartfelt, and it reminds families of what really matters. This wonderful short captures that same spirit perfectly."

Waititi went on to discuss how it's the perfect film for Disney fans as it contains some nods to iconic characters and movies gone by.

"It’s always nice and fun to be able to put in Easter eggs from other things too. I mean, at one point we had way too many! That kid’s bedroom was like she owned a Disney store! We had to scale that back a couple of times.

"The Stitch mouth is fantastic. In the park scene, deep in the background, there’s a little ice-cream cart with some balloons on top of it, from Up. The main stuff is really around the house, I think they’re very subtle."

Furthermore, Waititi is keen to keep working on Disney shorts, adding: "I would love for the Taika Waititi Disney Christmas Short universe to just keep going, so we could try and do new, different things every year. For me, it's like making a Disney film, but without having to do five years of work!

"I love creating these emotional stories with fantastical elements about the classic Disney themes like friendship, and being who you are, and putting others before you - all those things that we know from Disney films – but in short form. I get the best of both worlds, to do a bit of everything. I started out in short films. I made many short films before I made my first feature-length film, and I'd say that still, to me, it feels like one of the great forms of filmmaking."

The advert ends with the core wish to "Make someone's holiday magic", in true Disney fashion.

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