Episode Guide
The Little Mermaid Moana Lion King Aladdin Tangled Unlike The Simpsons in Plusaversary, Olaf Presents has charm and the eccentric, fun performance from Josh Gad is enough to make this a hit with the whole family. In its simplest form, Olaf Presents is a one-man physical comedy sketch show. Or, well, one snowman show if you will. Olaf takes center stage here, acting out 5 different classic Disney tales. Starting with The Little Mermaid, this collection cycles through Moana, Lion King, Aladdin and finally Tangled. Each episode takes key components from each film, adds some snow-themed trinkets and props, along with little jokes and nods toward those specific movies. These jokes are ultimately what win the day here, with Olaf doing a great job paying homage to famous songs like The Circle of Life in Lion King or Shiny in Moana. Helping out Olaf along the way are Marshmallow and Sven, who help add some extra pizzazz to proceedings. Each of the chapters are pretty zippy, wasting absolutely no time and with plenty of rapid cuts alongside cutesy animation to keep the kids happy. Out of all the Frozen shorts and spin-offs, this one is arguably the best, with just the right amount of promotional material for Disney’s other movies and enough of an identity to stand on its own. Kids are bound to love this one, although at only 12 minutes or so for all the episodes back to back, it’s a tad too short to really whet the appetite. That’s perhaps a good thing though, given Olaf is best served in small doses, while also leaving the door open for additional episodes in the future. The animation is decent all round too, while the visual cues and snow effects work beautifully to highlight the distinct parts for Disney’s most beloved movies. It’s testament to the timeless work done at the animation studios, and how the original classics still hold up to this day. Olaf Presents is a wonderful celebration of Disney’s animated department and a decent way to kill 15 minutes or so with the kids. While there’s nothing particularly outstanding or crazy here, the performance of Josh Gad is good enough to make this worth checking out.
