Kelly Ripa Helps Disney Celebrate Its 100th Anniversary with Never-Before-Seen Short

Kelly Ripa may not have young kids in the house anymore, but that doesn't mean she can't show her love for Disney. The 53-year-old talk show host recently hosted a TV special on ABC to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company’s founding.

Ripa first announced the special event during an episode of Live with Kelly and Mark on Friday, Oct. 13.

“This is something I wanna announce 'cause I think it's kind of exciting,” Ripa said to the audience with a smile. “So, on Sunday night, I'm hosting The Wonderful World of Disney: Disney’s 100th Anniversary Celebration.”

The program aired on Sunday, Oct. 15, and it included the first-ever TV broadcast of Encanto, along with a never-before-seen short, titled “Once Upon a Studio,” which celebrated 100 years of the animation studio.

When she announced the gig on Live, Ripa joked as to why she was chosen to lead the anniversary event: “I believe they asked me to host this because, as you know, I have been with Disney all 100 years.” (In reality, the Live Wire author has been with ABC/Disney for about 33 years, because she began starring on the ABC soap opera, All My Children, in 1990, before she took over as a part of Live in 2001).

However, long before Ripa was born (and cracking jokes), Disney was founded by its eponymous owner, Walt Disney, and his brother, Roy, under the name Disney Brothers Studio. The official name was changed to The Walt Disney Company in 1986.

But if you missed the special event last night, fear not, because you can still stream the brand-new Disney short here, on Disney+.

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