Pixar-esque Animated Short In a Heartbeat Is an Adorable Same-Sex Love Story

We can never have enough LGBTQ representation for young people. Thanks to two young animators from Ringling College of Art and Design, the very short list of LGBTQ love stories geared toward a younger audience just got a little bit longer. Beth David and Esteban Bravo had the idea for In a Heartbeat in January of 2016, and, after a year and many months, the film is finally available to the public for us to cry tears of joy at.

Though it only lasts four minutes, In a Heartbeat has the makings of a full film, complete with character arcs, touching moments and a bit of humor. The audience watches a young closeted boy named Sherwin, a red-haired, adorable middle schooler, as he tries to catch his heart after it literally pops out of his chest upon seeing Jonathan, the boy of his dreams.

In a Heartbeat has accumulated over 6.4 million views on YouTube as of this writing and has only been on the site for a little over 24 hours. Hopefully, its success will encourage animation studios like Pixar and Disney to represent young LGBTQ viewers to validate their feelings and put an end to the idea that LGBTQ love is somehow an “adult” theme.

Watch In a Heartbeat above. We hope you have tissues nearby.