Pixar to release its first project with Filipino American characters

Animation takes a new twist, courtesy of Pixar, with its new short Float due out November 12 with the debut of Disney+ streaming platform.

Float is one of six projects under its SparkShorts banner. It’s from writer/producer Bobby Rubio.

“It’s based on my own personal story of my son,” he said to ABC30. “In the story, the father is dealing with a son that floats, which makes him different from other children.”

This is believed to be the first time ever Filipino American characters have been featured in animation. It’s also the first time Pixar has introduced Filipino CGI characters.

In his video blog on YouTube, Frank Bernard said SparkShorts is designed to bring more diverse storytelling to Pixar Studios. Rubio has worked as a story artist for Incredibles 2, Inside Out, and Monsters University.

“I know what it means to see our culture represented on screen,” Rubio wrote on Twitter.

Excitement in the Fil Am community is building.

Bernard described the story in Float this way. “The dad has tanned skin, large expressive eyes, a very prominent Filipino nose, and definitely epitomizes the traits of a Filipino father. The fact that he’s depicted as a very protective dad who tries to keep his son grounded, literally, is so Filipino, and it really shows Rubio is tying in his own culture in his work.”

You can get a look at all six Pixar SparkShorts in the trailer below.

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