It’s here! 😀 After all these months of waiting, the time has come. “In a Heartbeat”, an animated short film about a young boy’s heart chasing the boy of his dreams, has been posted. And what are my thoughts on a short film that’s been praised even before it was released?

Well…it’s fantastic.

The animation—amazing. It’s not just the designs of the characters or the layout and speed, but the COLORS as well. I love how they pop and glow almost. I don’t know how the creators of this did it, but somebody give ‘em an award. “In a Heartbeat” and its animation is very vibrant and smooth, and their dedication leaps off the screen.

The characters—simple, but adorkable. Like I said before, the design of the two boys is very colorful and full of character. The short’s use of colors to tell their emotions, such as sadness, confusion and happiness is clever and tells us everything about them. There is absolutely no dialogue in this, yet you know how they’re feeling, understand their conflicts and sympathize with their struggles. On another note, is it me or is the animation of the red-haired boy’s anthropomorphic heart hand-drawn?

The soundtrack—rhythmic and lively. The music in this almost tells the story, and reflects the story’s theme and atmosphere.

The verdict—while it is at a short running time, I think “In a Heartbeat” is a wonderful step for LGBT representation in animation. We’ve had plenty of shows like Legend of Korra, Steven Universe and so on. Yet this is the first animated short for kinds that will entertain both struggling LGBT kids and others as well.

If you’re interested, check it out below: