Disney brings back Robin Williams’ voice for special short film

The iconic voice of Robin Williams will be heard once again, nine years after his untimely death, in a new short film by Disney.

The Studios debuted its short film, Once Upon a Studio, for The Wonderful World of Disney: Disney’s 100th Anniversary Celebration aired on Sunday, which featured some of the company’s most iconic characters including Williams’ Genie.

Williams voiced the beloved character Genie in the original animated classic Aladdin and in the following sequels and TV shows.

The actor died by suicide at 63 on August 11, 2014, at his home in Tiburon, California in Marin County. Toxicology reports reveal antidepressants, caffeine and levodopa, a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease, in his system.

Fans questioned if the studio used AI to bring the Genie back to life, which producer Yvett Merino refuted to Polygon that they did.

“It was actually direct lines from past recordings,” Merino told the outlet at the preview. “When we do animated recordings on any feature, there are a number of takes. So, we were able to find this line that fits so well in our short.”

AI has been an intense topic in Hollywood throughout both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with the WGA winning concessions in its new contract to limit AI use.