Grim Reaper

Grim Reaper is an American animated drama short film written and directed by Christine Liu. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the short stars Sarah-Nicole Robles as the titular character, with Kaitlyn Robrock and Tara Strong also starring. The short centers on a terminally-ill patient who tries to escape the Reaper.

Development on the short began by early 2029, with Liu pitching the project as a potrayal of the Grim Reaper "in a way that reflected how natural, if scary, death is", after other media potrayed the Reaper either as "too scary" or "too funny". The short would become the first theatrically released Disney TVA short since Stand by Me (1995), and its first theatrical release since Teacher's Pet (2004). Animation services would be provided by Rough Draft Korea.

The short would be released on November 30, 2031, alongside the Pixar film The Demon and the Church, and would receive a positive critical reception for its themes, vocal performances, and animation.

Synopsis
Marylin is a terminally-ill lady who is told she will not live past the night. And is that very night when the dreaded Grim Reaper comes to collect her soul. Terrified of the spectre, Marylin makes a run for it, but is she doing something good by escaping death?

Plot
In an hospital in New York City, Marylin, a patient with a terminal illness, is approached by her doctor, who reveals she will pass away that night. Marylin then spends one last day with her family, who are all devastated by her inminent. death, while Marylin herself is outright terrified.

That night, as Marylin passes away, her spirit leaves her corpse. The Grim Reaper then arrives to collect her soul. Scared of the spectral figure, Marylin tries to return to her body, but fails and instead tries to run away. However, Marylin is eventually cornered by the Reaper, so she instead attacks it "physically". Reaper then tries to calm her down, leading to a heart-to-heart talk where Reaper, revealing herself as a human-esque figure, admits she dosen't like taking people to the afterlife, but explains that passing away is a natural, if scary, part of life.

Accepting of her fate, Marylin agrees to go to the afterlife. Still somewhat scared, Reaper chooses to accompany her the entire journey.

Voice cast

 * Sarah-Nicole Robles as the Grim Reaper
 * Katlyn Robrock as Marylin
 * Tara Strong as a doctor

Development
On April 2030, Christine Liu pitched to the short department at Disney Televieion Animation the idea of a short about the Grim Reaper "and the naturality of death". Once the project was green-light for development, Liu approached the executives at Walt Disney Pictures with the idea of releasing the short in theaters, as she was interested in Disney TVA developing projects for cinemas once again after Teacher's Pet (2004). Impressed with the idea behind the short, the executives approved the idea, attaching it with Walt Disney Animation Studios' Swans (2031).

After the project was green-light for a theatrical release, Liu approached Pylar Flynn to produce the project, as she previously worked with her on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023). Liu and Flynn worked with the crew to ensure the visual quality of the short was higher than in most Disney TVA productions. The two also approached the short "as if we were making a 15-minute episode for a series",

Casting
Liu wrote the role of the Grim Reaper with Sarah-Nicole Robles in mind, as she wanted the Reaper to have "a kind and noble voice", which she felt only Robles could provide. After storyboarding ended, she contacted Robles and casted her in the role without making auditions. In contrast, multiple actresses auditioned for the role of Marylin, with Katlyn Ronrock getting the role after impressing the filmmakers with her performance.