Heartwarming videos brim with optimism, feel-good nostalgia

“From Our Family to Yours” —PHOTO FROM DISNEY

Disney’s Christmas-themed animated short “From Our Family to Yours,” anchored on universal themes of love, family and Yuletide traditions and given a distinctly Pinoy flavor, may have been in the pipeline long before the pandemic. But its release couldn’t have come at a more appropriate period in history—when sagging spirits need some boosting from all the doom and gloom the coronavirus has brought into our lives.

With storytelling brevity and a lot of heart, the three-minute short doesn’t even require dialogue between Lola and her fast-growing granddaughter, with a cute puppy in town, as we see them build as many parol (Filipino Christmas lanterns) as precious memories and dealing with imminent change over time. It is boosted further by 19-year-old performer Griff singing “Love is a Compass” in the background.

The must-see film, which can be viewed on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl57Gy5X_Kg), partly draws on the experiences of Angela Affinita, brand and creative marketing director at Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing, who grew up with her Filipino grandmother.

Scene from Disney’s Christmas-themed, Pinoy-inspired short

Medical front-liners take a breather

Another feel-good video, also on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCgN30Zt_Zk&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3Q9bvWLZzcZiDPSGKMbPNB8MXTIB6kTOCzR1PUEkB8910brfYiGLuZKNk), features 75 participants from a class of University of Santo Tomas-trained physicians not only reconnecting with one another after 28 years, but also taking a breather from the life-threatening challenges they continually face during the global crisis.

With technical guidance from Cinemalaya best director winner Rica Arevalo (“ICU Bed #7,” “Ganap na Babae: Eos,” “The Privileged Migrants,” “Vahay the Ivatan House,” “Tataya the Ivatan Boat”) and edited by Anya Zulueta, the fun-filled video shows medical alumni from a ’90s class, some of them wearing personal protective equipment and now serving patients all over the world, gamely grooving to Justin Timberlake’s fifth No. 1 single on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart “Can’t Stop the Feeling” in leisurely abandon. Take a bow, Docs! —RITO P. ASILO