Following both Toy Story 4 and Frozen 2, many are wondering if Disney Animation and Pixar are going to stop putting animated shorts in front of their big films. Now, it has been announced that the new upcoming Pixar film, Onward will have a short film in front of it, but the brand this time is a very surprising choice. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Simpsons producer Al Jean announced that a the short film will be a Simpsons entry featuring Maggie Simpson known as Playdate With Destiny.
The short is directed by Simpsons Movie director David Silverman and will center on Maggie Simpsons falling in love with another baby named Hudson. This story will tie into a future Simpsons episode set to premiere later in April. The short will officially be seen in theaters not just on March 6th when Onward releases, but also during early screenings of the film on February 29th.
This is not the first time Maggie Simpsons was in an animated short in front of a movie. In 2012, another Simpsons short known as The Longest Daycare premiered in front of screenings of Ice Age Continental Drift. By comparison, however, this short might feel very bizarre considering it’s in front of a Pixar film. Fortunately, fans may also like the idea because it shows that Disney is doing more with The Simpsons through their Fox merger than just simply putting the series on Disney Plus. In fact, Al Jean stated how excited he was for this short to premiere in front of Onward, stating that “Pixar is the gold standard of animation. I think they’re just the best, every film.”
Onward and Playdate With Destiny will premiere on March 6th 2020.