Sleigh Bells was created in 1928 and featured animators Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks' first character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

The only remaining print of the show lay hidden in the British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive, where it was recently "re-discovered" by a researcher. The six-minute footage has since been restored by experts at Walt Disney Animation Studios and now it will receive its world premiere at the BFI Southbank theatre on 12 December (15) as part of a series of events featuring Disney Christmas shorts.

"What a joyful treat to discover a long-lost Walt Disney film in the BFI National Archive and to be able to show Sleigh Bells to a whole new audience 87 years after it was made," says Robin Baker, head curator at the BFI National Archive.

"The restoration of this film will introduce many audiences to Disney's work in the silent period - it clearly demonstrates the vitality and imagination of his animation at a key point in his early career."