On July 31 the amazing short film by two animators at the Ringling College of Art and Design was released. The production follows a closeted queer boy who, literally, follows his heart and goes after the boy of his dreams.
Originally starting on Kickstarter, the idea made an incredible $14,000, surpassing its initial goal of $3,000!
The short film was teased with a trailer and previews, and once released had a giant audience that skyrocketed ‘In A Heartbeat’ to success. Within 24 hours of its release, beautiful fan art, cosplay, and fanfiction have emerged. Holding a Trending spot on Youtube and over 3.5 million views, creators Beth David and Esteban Bravo are “completely floored” by the overwhelmingly positive feedback.
http://twitter.com/gayivys/status/892347818525941760
A lot of people have been yearning to see this kind of relationship portrayed not only in media but in animation. People are very excited, and a lot of LGBT people who needed this kind of representation finally see themselves represented, and that inspires them.
– Esteban Bravo
Even without any dialogue in the short at all, ‘In A Heartbeat’ melted the hearts of countless individuals, including mine. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, I was delighted to watch the romance play out as naturally as it did. In an age where LGBTQ+ content is typically censored and dubbed as too taboo for children, this film brought out the core of love that happens between young boys every day in schools worldwide. I am very glad this short has received such an incredible response, and I hope that similar works are to follow.
in a heartbeat was so pure pic.twitter.com/astVYi7yLa
— 🪬 Caleb 🪬 (@sethpuertoluna) August 1, 2017
