Pixar short film ‘Float’ by Fil-Am animator gets over 1M views on YouTube
The first Pixar short to feature Filipino characters, “Float” can now be viewed on YouTube and is quickly winning over audiences on the platform.
The short film by Filipino-American animator Bobby Rubio was first released in November 2019 on Disney+. This meant, however, that Asians — including Filipinos — have not been able to see it, since the streaming platform has yet to come to Southeast Asia.
“Float” was finally put up on YouTube last Saturday, Feb. 27, along with “Wind,” another poignant film by Korean director Edwin Chang. “Float” has earned over 1.2 million views as of writing.
Rubio was thrilled with the reception of his 7-minute film, even while there were some “dislikes,” as seen in his tweet today, March 1.
“Grateful for all the love and support for our short film!” he said.
One Million views on YouTube!
For our short #PixarFloat https://t.co/lSRq2GtVGl70k👍 801👎
It was a teaching moment for my kids. “You can’t win them all.”
My son said “At least it’s under 1k!”
Grateful for all the love and support for our short film! See it NOW! pic.twitter.com/C01249HkJO
— Bobby Alcid Rubio (@Bobby_Rubio) February 28, 2021
The movie depicts a Filipino father raising his son who has the ability to float, which makes him worry about what other people in his neighborhood would think.
Many admitted that the film made them cry, as seen in the comments section. Besides its representation of autism, it also received praise for its relatable portrayal of fatherhood.
Rubio has told news outlets that the film is inspired by how he handled his son’s autism diagnosis.
“I was struggling when the diagnosis first came up… If I’m being honest, I went through a depression,” he said in an interview with KQED Public Radio in San Francisco, December 2019.
He also admitted that it did not even cross his mind to make the characters Filipino at first. He initially imagined them as white, which he realized was an unconscious bias, he told KABC-TV in November 2019.
It took a coworker to convince him that Filipino representation mattered. He recalled being hit with the question: “How’s your son going to feel when he looks up at the screen and that character is white?”
Rubio was born in San Diego, California and has been an artist for comic books and major animation studios, including Disney and Nickelodeon. JB
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