Pixar has debuted its new short film “Kitbull” online (via Mashable), and it’s going to break your heart in typical Pixar fashion. The nine-minute short features 2D animation instead of the studio’s go-to CGI animation style and tells the story of two abused animals (one a kitten and the other a pitbull, hence the title) who form a friendship that changes both of their lives.
“To be fully honest, it started from a cat video,” director Rosana Sullivan said about the short film. “I loved watching cat videos in times of stress. At first, I just wanted to draw something that made me feel good and was fun, but it evolved into something more personal to me eventually. Growing up, I was always very sensitive and very shy, and had actually a lot of trouble making connections, making friendship. So I related to this kitten because it never really stepped outside of its comfort zone to be vulnerable and make a connection.”
“Kitbull” is the latest Pixar short film release under its new SparkShorts program. The initiative seeks to “discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows.” The company released the short film “Purl” as part of the SparkShorts program at the beginning of the month.
Pixar is heading into Oscars weekend with nominations for Best Animated Feature (“Incredibles 2”) and Best Animated Short (“Bao”). While Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is likely to beat “Incredibles 2” for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, IndieWire’s crafts editor Bill Desowitz has named “Bao” the frontrunner to win Best Animated Short. Pixar has long been triumphant in the animated shorts category, winning in 2017 for “Piper” and earning a nomination in 2018 for “Lou.”
Watch Pixar’s “Kitbull” in its entirety in the video below.