Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zenimation debuted on Disney+ a little over a year ago, bringing subscribers a calming soundscape experience through scenes from Disney animated films grouped together by theme. Created and edited by David Bess, the first season only used footage from the late 1980’s through the present because they had access to isolated sound effect tracks for those projects. But in season two, the series goes all the way back to “The one that started it all,” Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from 1937.
(Disney)
With 59 animated features released over the last 83 years, this season of Zenimation pulls clips from nearly all of them. By my count, there are just 9 films that aren’t featured this season and the only Platinum/Diamond/Walt Disney Signature title left out is 101 Dalmatians. The other films you won’t see this season are Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Fun and Fancy Free, The Aristocats, The Black Cauldron, Oliver & Company, Dinosaur and Home on the Range. Surprisingly, this season uses clips from the only Walt Disney Animation Studios feature absent from Disney+, Make Mine Music (featuring segments from the “Blue Bayou” sequence, originally animated for Fantasia and cut from that film).
The studio has released one new film since the last season and Raya and the Last Dragon is heavily used across most of the eight episodes in this season. Themes like “Rain,” “Waterways,” and “Kindness” at times feel built around the film, often opening and/or closing with clips from the latest release. For that reason, this season of Zenimation at times feels designed to promote the latest film, now streaming for all Disney+ subscribers.
The second season of Zenimation is more impressive than the first because of the decades-spanning vault of films that David Bess utilizes. He and his team went back to the original Jimmy MacDonald sound effects to either bring out the isolated bit of foley needed to remove music and dialogue from these mono tracks or recreated them using the same approach that would’ve been used in the era. An example of this can be found in the episode “Transformation” where the Fairy Godmother turns Cinderella’s torn dress into a silver ball gown, which is accompanied only by music in Cinderella. In Zenimation, it has a magical, twinkling sound that feels appropriate for the period.
(Disney)
Mostly designed for mindful relaxation, one of the new episodes, “Everyday Comforts,” brings out a few comical moments in what is otherwise a fairly humorless experience. It features clips of characters waking up, getting ready, working, and going to sleep. From Anna sleeping through her alarm on coronation day to the dwarfs washing up before supper, this episode is a lot of fun and a nice change of tone in the typically calming lineup.
“Natural Wonders,” “Snowscapes” and “Locales” complete this second season of Zenimation themes, with a ninth episode offering the “Full Journey,” stringing them together with no pauses for viewers who just want to press play and relax for a little over 40-minutes. The artistry of Walt Disney Animation Studios is unmatched and in addition to showcasing the gorgeous visuals from artists spanning eight decades of work, the series is also a showcase for the incredible sound design for each film featured.
Zenimation Season 2 premieres Friday, June 11th only on Disney+.