Over the years, Disney-Pixar has strived for more representation in both their feature and short films. And they've made great progress with the likes of
Bao, Sanjay's Super Team, and a few others.
With the creation of Pixar SparkShorts, a new experimental storytelling initiative, we'll get even more creative voices at Pixar Animation Studios to share their unique stories. The result looks like some incredible, diverse storytelling.
For Filipino-American writer and director Bobby Rubio, who also serves as an animator at Pixar, SparkShorts provides a chance for him to share his culture with a wide audience.
"I see it as a wonderful opportunity to tell my story," says Rubio, who wrote and directed the animated SparkShort
Float.
Rubio has worked on numerous Pixar projects, including serving as story artist for
Incredibles 2, Inside Out, and Monsters University. With this new opportunity, he's telling a story that will feature Pixar's first all-CGI Filipino characters.
Float is one of six
SparkShorts that have been revealed thus far. Its synopsis reads:
A father discovers that his son floats, which makes him different from other kids. To keep them both safe from the judgement of the world, Dad hides, covers, and grounds him. But when his son’s ability becomes public, Dad must decide whether to run and hide or to accept his son as he is.
Unfortunately, it will not be one of the shorts featured in the exclusive run at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre this week (Jan. 18 - 24).
Purl,
Smash and Grab, and
Kitbull will be shown in the theatre before making their way to the Disney-Pixar YouTube channel in February.
Introducing Pixar SparkShorts, an experimental storytelling initiative that welcomes new creative voices at Pixar Animation Studios to share their stories. “Purl” hits the YouTube channel on Feb. 4, followed by the YouTube and YouTube Kids debuts of “Smash and Grab” on Feb. 11, and “Kitbull” on Feb. 18.
Future SparkShorts, including presumably
Float and the already-announced
Loop and
Wind, will be available at a later date on Disney+, the Walt Disney Company's upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service, which is set to launch in late 2019.