Taika Waititi's Emmy Nominated Holiday Short The Boy & The Octopus Captures Disney Magic
- spideylover25
- Jul 17
- 2 min read
A Disney Holiday Short: The Boy & The Octopus was nominated for an Emmy® Award in the Outstanding Commercial category as part of the Television Academy’s nominations for the 77th Emmy® Awards. Released in November 2024, the heartwarming holiday short created in collaboration with acclaimed director Taika Waititi was met with overwhelming response, receiving over 75M views on YouTube and Disney+ in just one month. A Disney Holiday Short: The Boy & The Octopus follows the journey of a child who forms a friendship with a curious octopus and ends up taking the lovable octopus out into the world to experience the joy of the holidays.
A Disney Holiday Short: The Boy & The Octopus follows the journey of a child who discovers a curious octopus has attached to his head during a seaside vacation. After returning home, the boy forms a true friendship with the octopus by introducing his new companion to his life on land – harnessing the power of the Force with his Jedi lightsaber, playing with his Buzz Lightyear action figure, and imagining Santa Claus’ route around the world with the map on his wall – before taking the lovable octopus out into the world to experience the joy of the holidays, hidden under his Mickey Mouse beanie. While watching the Disney holiday classic, 'The Santa Clause' (1994), the boy comes to understand the extent of the octopus’ desire to explore everything the world has to offer, and he sets in motion a plan to make it happen. For the boy and the octopus, it is the precious everyday moments of childhood and friendship, as much as the magic of the season, that make their time together so meaningful. Disney fans will love finding even more hidden easter eggs throughout the holiday short including from beloved films like 'Moana' (2016),' Lilo and Stitch' (2002), and 'Toy Story' (1995), among others.
“The story manages to connect the feelings that you get around the holidays, and the joy, the goodwill and everything, with those same emotions and those same sensibilities you get from Disney films,” said Taika Waititi. “I think they go hand in hand and it's the perfect match – and only Disney could have made something like this…with me.”