Pixar’s Float is a short film featuring its first Filipino American characters. We’re looking forward to catching this on Disney+! Via Variety:
Bobby Rubio, who made his directorial debut with Pixar’s animated short “Float” on Disney Plus earlier this month, has worked at Pixar as a story artist since 2012, contributing to “Inside Out,” “Incredibles 2” and “Brave.” But “Float” broke new ground as the first Pixar work to feature a Filipino American animated character.
The short tells the story of a father who discovers that his young son is different than other kids because he floats. Rather than subject him to judgment from the outside world due to his difference, the father keeps his son out of sight.
“Float” was inspired by Rubio’s own son, who was diagnosed with autism. When Rubio learned about his son’s diagnosis, he didn’t handle the news well.
“My wife said I should tell the story through comic books, as that’s what I did on the side back then,” he explained. Rubio started the creative process, drawing a son floating in the air. “The tagline was: A Father’s Journey with a Special Child.” That was as far as Rubio got, he said. “I wasn’t emotionally ready to tell the story.”