Audiences are accustomed to a short film playing before a new Pixar feature film like this weekend's Onward. Traditionally, these short films hail from Pixar as well. In the case of Onward, a notable exception has emerged. This time around, the attached short film hails from Disney's newly acquired movie studio, 20th Century Studios, formerly 20th Century Fox. Based in the world of The Simpsons and entitled Playdate with Destiny, this short is only the second time a non-Pixar short film has preceded a Pixar movie. The first of these rare occasions was when Olaf's Frozen Adventure screened before showings of Coco in November 2017.
Playdate with Destiny takes a cue from the last theatrically released Simpsons short film, The Longest Daycare, by following the exploits of Maggie Simpson. This time around, Playdate follows Maggie as she develops a friendship with a newfound playground pal named Hudson. However, their bond is challenged when Homer Simpson subsequently takes Maggie to a different playground, separating her from Hudson. From there, a distraught Maggie does everything she can to get Homer to take her back to Hudson so they can resume their adventures together.
Directed by The Simpsons Movie helmer David Silverman, Playdate with Destiny's presence on a Pixar movie is unusual. Though animated Simpsons shorts have played before other animated features, this is only the second time that an animated short not produced by Pixar preceded one of that studio's films.
The Oscar-nominated short film The Longest Daycare played before theatrical screenings of Ice Age: Continental Drift back in July 2012. The presence of this earlier Maggie Simpson adventure playing before a family film laid the groundwork for Playdate with Destiny's pairing with Onward. Yet it isn't just the precedent set by The Longest Daycare that spurred a Simpsons short film being attached to Onward. The primary reason is due to corporate synergy by Disney. This company is looking to take full advantage of all the properties they acquired after they purchased the assorted 20th Century Studios media outlets in March 2019.
That massive Disney/Fox merger gave Disney full ownership of numerous film & television brands, one of which was The Simpsons. Disney wasted no time in integrating this newly acquired television program into their larger corporate empire. The first move in this larger plan was putting every episode of The Simpsons on their Disney+ streaming platform. Such a move is designed to, among other goals, make sure audiences associate The Simpsons with their new corporate owners. Such a plan continues on by playing Playdate with Destiny before all screenings of the Disney/Pixar production Onward.
Now people are reminded of the existence of The Simpsons in the space where original Pixar short films like For The Birds or Sanjay's Super Team used to play. As Disney attempts to make use of all the new brands at their disposal in the wake of the 20th Century Studios acquisition, it's doubtful Playdate with Destiny will be the last time The Simpsons and other 20th Century Studios properties cross paths with Disney movies like Onward. Playing a Simpsons short before a Pixar feature film is an unorthodox move in the context of Pixar's history. However, it's a predictable move in the context of Disney's goal to take full advantage of recently-acquired 20th Century Fox brands like The Simpsons.