The Ballad of Nessie

The Ballad of Nessie is a 2011 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton and Kevin Deters, and produced by the team behind Disney's 2007 animated short film How to Hook Up Your Home Theater.

The Ballad Of Nessie
Poster for The Ballad of Nessie
Directed by	Stevie Wermers-Skelton Kevin Deters
Screenplay by	Regina Conroy Stevie Wermers-Skelton Kevin Deters
Story by	Stevie Wermers-Skelton Regina Conroy
Produced by	Dorothy McKim Tamara Boutcher
Narrated by	Billy Connolly
Edited by	Jeff Draheim
Music by	Michael Giacchino
Production company	Walt Disney Animation Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	March 5, 2011 (2011-03-05) (Belgium) July 15, 2011 (2011-07-15) (U.S., with Winnie The Pooh)
Running time	6 minutes[1]
Language	English

The short, narrated by Billy Connolly, is a Disney adaptation of the origin of the Loch Ness Monster, Nessie,^[2] described to be a female amphibious lizard-like monster.

Plot

A young gentle creature named Nessie lives happily in a small pond with her best friend MacQuack, a rubber duck. When rich developer MacFroogal destroys the pond and land surrounding it to build a giant miniature golf course, Nessie is forced to search for a new home. She finds rejection everywhere and is always ordered to keep a stiff upper lip whenever she feels like crying. Finally, Nessie loses all hope and starts crying for weeks on end. She cannot cry anymore when she finds that her tears have created Loch Ness, a new home for her and MacQuack.

A mid-credits scene reveals that MacFroogal's golf course is flooded out as well. MacFroogal breaks down in tears as he and his assistants sail away on part of a large sign, while the water knocks off some of the letters on the remaining part, leaving the word "MacFool" behind.

Release

The short premiered on March 5, 2011, at Anima 2011, the International Animation Film Festival of Brussel.^[3] In the United States, it accompanied the theatrical release of Winnie the Pooh, which premiered on July 15 of the same year.

Home media

The short was released on October 25, 2011, as a bonus feature on the Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download release of Winnie the Pooh.^[4] The Ballad of Nessie was released on the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray on August 18, 2015.^[5] It is also available to watch separately on Disney+.

Accolades

The Ballad of Nessie was nominated for a 2012 Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject.^[6]