Ep 1. Float

Float is the premiere episode of the animated short film series SparkShorts, which invites emerging filmmakers at Pixar to experiment with new storytelling approaches. The episode, which is eight minutes long, is directed by Bobby Rubio and tells the story of a father and son who have an unusual relationship.

The opening shots of Float establish the idyllic suburbia in which the film takes place. A young father (voiced by Rubio) is swinging his toddler son, who giggles and points at the clouds above. But when the father sees his son floating several inches off the ground, he panics and shields the boy from view.

As the father and son leave the park, we see that the boy's ability to float is not a one-off fluke. He can levitate at will, and often does so out of sheer excitement or curiosity. But his dad is ashamed of him, fearful that others will see his son as a freak or a threat. He tries to teach the boy to walk, but he resists, saying that he likes floating.

One day, the boy disobeys his father and floats out of the house, soaring above the trees and houses in the neighborhood. The father chases after him, frantic that he will be seen by others. Sure enough, when they land in a nearby park, a group of children stares at the boy in awe and confusion. The father berates his child, telling him to stop floating, or at least do it in private.

As time goes on, the father becomes more and more authoritarian, forbidding his son from doing anything that might reveal his ability to others. The boy sinks into sadness, realizing that his father is ashamed of him and doesn't understand him. Meanwhile, the father becomes paranoid and reclusive, withdrawing from the world and cutting off contact with his own parents.

One day, the father sees a butterfly floating in the wind, and he has a realization. He apologizes to his son for the way he has treated him, acknowledging that he has been wrong to deny him his special gift. The two embrace, and the boy floats into the air once again, this time with his father's full support and encouragement.

Float is a heartwarming and beautifully animated episode that explores themes of acceptance, family, and identity. Rubio's direction is sensitive and empathetic, conveying the emotions of the father and son without resorting to sentimentality or cliché. The use of a magical realism element (the boy's ability to float) adds a layer of metaphorical richness to the story, allowing viewers to interpret it in different ways.

While Float is a simple and straightforward narrative, it has a depth and complexity that make it resonate long after the credits roll. It's a perfect example of how Pixar's SparkShorts series is pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in animated storytelling, and how a short film can pack as much of an emotional punch as a full-length feature.