'Float,' Pixar's first short film featuring Filipino characters

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, March 4 ------ The film first premiered on Disney+. Float, the first animated Pixar short to feature Filipino characters, is now available for viewing on Pixar's YouTube. The 5-minute film tells the story of a father who hides his son's ability to levitate, for fear of what people might think of him. It was made by Filipino-American director Bobby Rubio, who was inspired by his own experience of being a father to his son, diagnosed with autism.

The film was part of SparkShorts, Pixar's showcase of their artist's projects. It first premiered on Disney+ on November 12, 2019, but only reached the Filipino audience when it went up on YouTube. "Pixar Animation Studios and the SparkShorts filmmakers of FLOAT are in solidarity with the Asian and Asian American communities against Anti-Asian hate in all its forms," wrote Pixar in the description for the video. "We are proud of the onscreen representation in this short and have decided to make it widely available, in celebration of what stories that feature Asian characters can do to promote inclusion everywhere," the studio added.

The release comes as reports of hate crimes against Asian communities have risen in the US and other parts of the world since the pandemic started. Float has gained over 4 million views on YouTube since its February 27 release.

Source: rappler.com