Parents' Guide to

Short Circuit

By Ashley Moulton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Delightful animated shorts from emerging Disney talent.

TV Disney+ Kids' Animation 2020
Short Circuit Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

Each episode in SHORT CIRCUIT is made up of one two-minute animated short, plus a behind-the-scenes mini-documentary that shows the inspiration behind the film. The theme, topic, and animation style vary considerably for each short. Some are lighthearted, like "Puddles," where a little boy discovers a magical world by falling through puddles, or "Downtown," about the drab streets of a city that are transformed into vibrant street art. Some deal with heavier themes like "Flower in the Mirror," which is a metaphor for a woman's grief, or "Cycles," which rewinds through a family's life from the moment the grandmother is moved into an assisted living facility.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

These shorts have superb storytelling with characters that pull at your heartstrings, and gorgeous animation and scoring to match. The full title of this show is Short Circuit: Experimental Films, but these animated shorts are less experimental and more like many of Disney/Pixar's other shorts. These films will appeal to kids and adults alike. Several of them are similar to Up in which grown-up themes might fly right over kids' heads, but the grown-ups will end up sobbing. Animation nerds will appreciate the design and animation techniques (which are somewhat experimental in some shorts), and kids will like the engaging characters and stories.

A bonus element is that before each animation plays, there's a mini-documentary that features the creator of the film and behind-the-scenes footage. It's inspiring to see people in animation careers and to learn more about the creative process. The footage shows a relative lack of gender and racial diversity in Disney Animation Studios' employees, which is the only bummer about this otherwise excellent series.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the emotions each short evokes. What do you feel? Why do you think you feel this emotion? What are some of the techniques the artist used to make you feel a certain way?

  • The behind-the-scenes footage shows the creator of each short film. What would your behind-the-scenes story be about? What kind of ideas do you think could make an interesting cartoon?

  • The shorts featured in Short Circuit are created by employees at Disney and produced in collaboration with other coworkers. What does that say about teamwork, creativity, and courage?

TV Details

  • Premiere date: January 24, 2020
  • Network: Disney+
  • Genre: Kids' Animation
  • TV rating: TV-PG
  • Last updated: February 27, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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