An animated short about two boys in love has the internet swooning over its tenderness and timely LGBT inclusion.
“In a Heartbeat,” uploaded to YouTube on Monday from filmmakers Beth David and Esteban Bravo, tells a little-seen story in the animated space:
“A closeted boy runs the risk of being outed by his own heart after it pops out of his chest to chase down the boy of his dreams,” a logline for the project reads.
Produced at Ringling College of Art and Design, the film has the polished look of any modern animated film in the market (very close to Pixar, in the best way, if you ask us) — but it features a bold kind of storytelling that contemporary studios shy away from.
In “Heartbeat,” an awkward redhead boy crushes on his much smoother male classmate. His fluttering heart, independent of his body, chases down the object of its affection and leaves him vulnerable to the judgment of others in his school.
It’s a clever interpretation of
Across all film releases, no major studio was rated as sufficient when it came to representing gay characters, according to an annual survey from GLAAD. Animation studios like Disney, for instance, only had one film out of 13 that was found to be LGBT inclusive.
In addition to directors David and Bravo, “Heartbeat” counts sound designer Nick Ainsworth and an uplifting score Arturo Cardelús.
Give it a watch; your heart will thank you. Read the best reactions here:
https://twitter.com/lanceswifelol/status/892052598521548800
i cant stress how important it is to show young kids figuring out n dealing w their sexuality in a positive light go support in a heartbeat
— em (@summeraristotle) July 31, 2017
https://twitter.com/popiepng/status/892091924726677505
https://twitter.com/lesbianmichiru/status/892110853683720192
https://twitter.com/feverdanieI/status/892045513813618688
https://twitter.com/smileybatch/status/891880546694971392
in a heartbeat deserves to be made into a full animated movie that was so beautiful and pure
— maya ia (@jinIovebot) July 31, 2017