The Ballad of Nessie

The Ballad of Nessie is a 2011 traditionally 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 How to Hook Up Your Home Theater.

The short, narrated by Billy Connolly, is a Disney adaptation of the origin of the Loch Ness Monster, Nessie.

Plot
A creature named Nessie lives happily in a small pond with her friend MacQuack, a rubber duck. When a rich developer takes the pond and land surrounding it to build a miniature golf course, Nessie is forced to search for a new home. She finds rejection everywhere and is always told to keep a stiff upper lip and not cry. Finally, Nessie loses all hope and starts crying for days, weeks, and months. When she cannot cry anymore, she finds that her tears have created the Loch, a new home for her and MacQuack.

During the five small credits it is shown that the golf course has also been flooded, with the developer and his assistants using the sign as a raft. The developer breaks down into tears over his loss.

Release
The short premiered on March 5, 2011, at Anima 2011, the International Animation Film Festival of Brussel. In the US it accompanied the theatrical release of Winnie the Pooh, which premiered on July 15, 2011.

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. The Ballad of Nessie was released on the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray on August 18, 2015.

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