With 10 million views and counting, In a Heartbeat is the runaway viral hit of the summer you need to watch. The 3D animated short follows a young red-headed boy who has a crush on a fellow schoolboy who makes his heart skip a beat. Actually, it makes his heart literally jump away from his chest and then chase down his dashing crush – a prospect that’s much too terrifying to our protagonist, who fears he’ll just embarrass himself. Featuring no dialogue and a gorgeous score by Spanish composer Arturo Cardelús, this is what you’d get if Pixar were to give you an adorable gay YA romance.
What’s more impressive? The animated short was directed as the thesis project of two Ringling College of Art and Design students, Beth David and Esteban Bravo. As they put it in the Kickstarter campaign last year when they were seeking the requisite funding, the short film is “an expression of a subject that has not been explored in computer animation. It’s a film that deals with a real and personal topic in a very sweet and lighthearted way.”
The short has had such a great reception that the co-directors have already opened up an online shop where you can buy merch inspired by the short. And, for fans of the playful music featured in the film, the score is now up on Spotify for all to enjoy! Needless to say recent grads David and Bravo (who currently intern at Blue Sky) will have no trouble getting hired and/or hopefully getting their next (shall we dare dream?) full feature-length project off the ground.
Check out the entire film below and be prepared to swoon, not just over the boy’s gorgeous head of hair, but also over their sweet animated meet-cute.