In case you did not catch it online during the 2020 Holidays, Disney has been on to the solid fandom they have with Filipinos. These include not just those living in the Philippines but also the global diaspora. If the Disney UK 3D-animated Christmas spot “From Our Family to Yours” was not enough of a loving tribute to Filipinos with the Lola/grandma teaching her London-raised granddaughter how to make Parol, then this short animation from Pixar should drive the point home. Unfortunately its release two years ago on Disney+ meant many Pinoys could not see it. Thank goodness for YouTube.

According to Inquirer.net, the Disney-Pixar animated short “Float” is now generally accessible after its original premiere exclusively on Disney+ last November 2019. The 3D short, which was written, produced, directed and voiced in by Fil-American Pixar creative Bobby Rubio, was put on the official Pixar YouTube channel this past Saturday, February 27. This animation was developed out of Pixar’s “SparkShorts” creative program, giving some of their staff the opportunity to headline an animated short of their own design. “Float” runs for only around seven minutes or so, but its brief story is filled with the energy of any Disney-Pixar feature-length.

The story is simple enough. A father of Filipino-American heritage is playing with his toddler son on his front yard when the baby suddenly starts floating in the air, even demonstrating control mid-flight. The dad’s surprised wonder then turns into worrying concern when his neighbors all stare at his son, and in not a friendly manner to. Now he must decide on whether to hide his child’s ability by hobbling his freedoms, or give him liberty but leave him at risk. The floating baby was inspired by Rubio’s own, autistic child, and he identifies with the father with similar sentiments.

As of Monday, March 1, the YouTube upload of Disney-Pixar’s “Float” has close to a million and a half views, with over 93,000 likes and almost 4,000 comments. Its weekend upload was accompanied by another Pixar “SparkShort” entry from Korean-American director Edwin Chang, entitled “Wind.” Having them on YouTube is great considering the Philippines and most of Asia are not covered by Disney+ just yet.

Image courtesy of Vox