Earlier this year, Pixar revealed the SparkShorts experimental animation program with Purl, Smash and Grab, and Kitbull as the first three short films out of the six coming exclusively to Disney+.

Disclaimer: Some films may contains language and or themes that may be sensitive for younger viewers.

The forth film in Pixar’s SparkShorts, “Float”, debuted today with the launch of Disney+. “The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows. These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare”, stated Jim Morris, President of Pixar Animated Studios.

“Float” follows the story of a father who discovers his son is different from other kids, in a very special way. After weird and concerning looks from neighbors, the father decides it’s best to cover and hide his son from the world. When his son’s abilities are accidently viewed in public, the dad must choose to either hide and be ashamed, or embrace and love the differences that make his son unique!

The short film is inspired by the real-life relationship of writer and director Bobby Rubio with his own son, who is on the autism spectrum. The decision of giving the child having the ability to float was to help viewers with a vast array of differences be able to see themselves in the film. The way Bobby and the animators were able to convey the different emotions, from happiness in the beginning, to suddenly frightful and sad are outstanding. You can instantly feel the love they poured into the film and the importance of the subject matter to the filmmakers. This film has instantly become one of our favorite Pixar Shorts.

Catch the last two SparkShorts, titled “Wind” (debuting December 13th, 2019) and “Loop” (debuting January 10th, 2020) exclusively on Disney+.

What did you think of the short? We’re still crying over this heartwarming short film.