We’re all probably fans of animation in some form or another. From the days of Steamboat Willie to the release of Moana, I would doubt it if you told me you didn’t have a favorite animated movie or Saturday morning cartoon (Or as I’m sure whatever kids I have in the future will tell me, streaming animated series) looking back on your childhood. We loved the epic heroes, still love the ageless storytelling, the messages that reverberate from childhood to adulthood.
So, what happens when cartoons start moving forward to lessons that we wouldn’t even think to talk about even ten years ago?
In a Heartbeart is a student film made by Beth David and Esteban Bravo, on a Kickstarter budget about an old lesson; you don’t control who your heart falls in love with. What’s resulted in the video going viral, however, is who the main character falls for.
Told entirely without dialogue, the short animated film focuses on one boy’s young crush on another. Our main character, clearly shy and a little awkward, at first can only watch from afar until his Heart literally leaps out of his chest to be with the one he falls for. In only four minutes the viewer is treated to everything we’ve all probably experienced in our first crushes; nervousness, trepidation, panic when the truth is revealed.
Only the film doesn’t pull one punch. When the Heart finally manages to be with the object of our main character’s affections, it’s in front of several other students. All of them glare down at what’s happening in front of them, and in desperation our protagonist breaks his own heart to flee from the scene.
In a truly heartwarming moment that echoes Disney’s own renaissance, our broken-hearted boy finds his crush holding the other piece of his broken heart, and together they mend it. The film ends with the two sitting under an old oak tree, as their two bright hearts become one.
The animation is beautifully done, and it’s clear that David and Bravo are on the straight path to being grabbed by any number of major studios when they graduate. To me, any dialogue would have run the risk of ruining the film, where pantomime and movement convey it across any language.
Yeah, you might think I spoiled it all. Believe me, I didn’t. It’s a heartfelt little film with a powerful message. Up on Youtube for free for all to see, it’s a definitely fine addition to the world’s animated films, and the recognition it’s already garnered will hopefully pave the way for further use of the topic for years to come.