David Lowery (The Green Knight, Pete’s Dragon) is writing and directing An Almost Christmas Story, which is the third and final installment of producer Alfonso Cuarón’s holiday shorts collection.

The animated short film is inspired by the true events of a tiny owl, Rocky – short for Rockefeller, found and rescued from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 2020.

An Almost Christmas Story follows Moon, “a curious young owl who unexpectedly finds himself stuck in a Christmas tree destined for Rockefeller Plaza.

“In his attempts to escape the bustling city, Moon befriends a lost young girl named Luna. Together, they embark on a heartwarming adventure, discovering the magic of the holiday season and forming an unlikely bond as they journey back home to their parents.”

The voice cast includes Cary Christopher as Moon, Estella Madrigal as Luna, Jim Gaffigan as Papa Owl, Mamoudou Athie as Pelly, Alex Ross Perry as Dave The Dog, Gianna Joseph as Peaky, Phil Rosenthal as Punt, with Natasha Lyonne as Pat, and John C. Reilly as The Folk Singer, who performs four songs in the short, two of which are original songs. 

The short film is set to premiere this fall on Disney+.

Cuarón’s first short was Le Pupille, which earned an Oscars nomination in 2022, and the second one was last year’s The Shepherd, which was shortlisted, both of these were live action films.

Source: Deadline