by Leonie
“A closeted boy runs the risk of being outed by his own heart after it pops out of his chest to chase down the boy of his dreams.”
That is the caption on the official trailer for the 2017 animated short film In a Heartbeat.
Forget Stiles and Lydia, this films protagonists Sherwin and Jonathan are my new OTP. They are adorably designed and expertly animated, with the most expressive pairs of eyebrows in cinematic history. Co-creators Beth David and Esteban Bravo released their (already award-winning) senior thesis project’s trailer last week and it has taken the internet by storm. With their YouTube channel currently showing a subscriber count of over 10.000 and a whole community of fans on Instagram, I’m not surprised this lovely little glimpse into the movie has already earned the creators so much praise.
And even though the trailer didn’t include any dialogue (not sure if the movie will?) I already fell in love with Sherwin and his delightfully derpy-looking heart. They show so much character and originality within a few short sequences and it is already obvious that David and Bravo will be telling a well-crafted stroy about love and angst and nerves and how sometimes head and heart can pull you in opposite directions (literally).
Animated films, not only Dreamworks or Pixar but also smaller productions, are largely targeted towards children. Therefore, it is so important to include diverse themes and give children a sense of self-acceptance and self-love. I believe this short, judging from the trailer, beautifully creates a rich story that has the potential to do exactly that. The characters seem relateble and quirky and so full of life, it is quite inspiring.
I am also very impressed by the score: it conveys this sense of giddy nervousness which the main character feels. So much so that his heart literally jumps out of his chest and is immediately infatuated with this other, particularly dreamy boy.
Look at that adorable derp of a heart. I love it!! This is the film’s official poster btw.
I encourage you to watch this trailer in whatever mood you’re in because despite being a mere 25 seconds long it is 25 seconds of pure joy. It will make you smile from ear to ear and you will count the days until the films official release this summer. Online. For free.
For more information and updates you can subscribe to ‘In a Heartbeat Animated Short Film’ on YouTube and follow the creators on Instagram – @estebravo & @bbethdavidd.
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