Pixar’s SparkShorts have previously released two shorts, Float and Loop, that are based on the two director’s own experiences with family members and friends who have autism. In honor of Autism Acceptance month, Pixar has released a new video where the pair will be sharing comments and tweets from fans of their shorts with each other.
What’s Happening:
- As part of Autism Acceptance Month, Pixar directors Erica Milsom and Bobby Rubio share tweeted comments about each other’s SparkShorts, Loop and Float respectively, from fans who appreciate their artistic stories and efforts.
- In Rubio’s Float, a father discovers that his son is different from other kids in the most unusual way. To keep them both safe from judgement, Dad covers him and keeps him out of sight – but when his son’s ability becomes public, Dad must decide to run and hide or to accept his son as he is.
- In Milsom’s Loop, a non-verbal autistic girl and a chatty boy are partnered on a canoeing trip. To complete their journey across an urban lake, they must both learn how the other experiences the world.
- Both shorts fall under the new SparkShorts brand from Pixar, designed to discover new storytellers, and explore new storytelling techniques. These films are unlike anything ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than the usual fare from the studio.
- And based on the comments, fans have taken note. Some of the comments shared include the appreciation of casting a non-verbal autistic actress as Renee (Madison Bandy) in Loop, saying that’s how casting should always be done, another comment that moved Rubio to tears saying his film (based on Rubio’s own experiences as a father whose son registers on the Autism spectrum) is “the hardest hitting seven minutes about autism and otherness in children I’ve ever seen.”
- You can watch the full video between the two directors above, and you can also watch Loop and Float streaming now on Disney+.
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