Pixar Makes History With the First Filipino-American Animated Story

Pixar writer and director Bobby Rubio spoke to Action News about his project, saying, “As a Filipino-American and it being Filipino History Month, I am super proud that this is coming out, and we are making history.”

Rubio has reportedly been searching for a way to introduce his culture to a wider audience for a long time, and Pixar eventually presented him with this opportunity.

 

“Float” is an uplifting celebration of children with unique gifts and its lead characters are actually animated versions of Rubio and his own son.

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

To create his characters, he took a feature-based approach in order to make them Filipino American.

“I know we don’t all look alike, but at the same time, I wanted traits that I had so that it at least felt authentic,” he said.

The heartwarming short film was unveiled at a special screening and will also be featured on the new Disney+ app which is set to be launched on November 12.