A Filipino artist has created the first Pixar animated short film to feature Filipino lead characters. Bobby Rubio, a Pixar Animation Studios story artist, was the writer and director of an upcoming short film entitled Float, which Rubio revealed will be starring two Filipino-American characters, GMA News reported.
Rubio, who has worked on animated films Tarzan, Avatar: The Last Airbender series and Up, said it was important to finally have characters that represent millions of Filipinos. “I am proud to tell our stories. I know what it means to see our culture represented on screen,” Rubio said.
Float will be part of an experimental storytelling initiative of Pixar called SparkShorts. According to Pixar, the first three short films will be launched in the El Capitan Theater starting on January 18, followed by a launch on YouTube starting in February. However, there is still no release date for Rubio’s film.
Aside from Float, Rubio is also working on a separate project titled Neighborhood Legend, which features a Filipina-American character in a story set in San Diego in the United States, ABS-CBN News reported.
