In A Heartbeat (2017) - Top 5 Facts!

Directors Beth David and Esteban Bravo created “In a Heartbeat” for their senior thesis at Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida. The co-directors reportedly split the work down the middle, with David animating the shy Sherwin and Bravo animating his love interest, Jonathan. On Twitter, David notes that she was an animator for the Netflix Original Series, “Ask the StoryBots.” She’s also joining Sony’s animation team for “Hotel Transylvania 3.” Meanwhile, Bravo landed an internship with Blue Sky Studios, which brought us the “Ice Age” franchise and “The Peanuts Movie.” Having hit the ground running, great things appear to lying ahead for these up-and-coming animators.

Sometimes our hearts need a jumpstart and our dreams need a kick-start. After preproduction for “In a Heartbeat” began in January 2016, David and Bravo turned to the crowdfunding site in November 2016. In need of a composer and sound designer, they set a goal of $3,000, as well as a stretch goal of $2,000 for a live studio ensemble. The campaign exceeded its goal by a large margin, accumulating over $14,000 from 416 backers within the 30-day funding period. Arturo Cardelús was hired as a composer while Nick Ainsworth took on sound designing duties. The music and sound would add another layer of emotion to the final product, giving the film a beating heart.

 
The Internet has fallen in love with this little movie ever since it was released on July 31, 2017. The film not only gained over 20 million views on YouTube, but a slew of awards and film festival showings as well. So far, “In a Heartbeat” has picked up the Trinity Film Festival’s Alumni Choice Award and a 2017 Jury Award from the North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. On top of all that, the short is an animation semifinalist at the 2017 Student Academy Awards. The aforementioned award notably paved the way for many Academy Award-winning animators, including Pixar’s John Lasseter and Pete Docter. Could Oscar gold be in David and Bravo’s futures?

Given all the fan art that’s been flooding the web, “In a Heartbeat” has clearly struck a chord with many. In just four minutes, the short packs in more emotion than a lot of feature films. So just imagine what the filmmakers could accomplish with a longer runtime. On social media, numerous fans have requested a feature-length adaptation that further explores Sherwin and Jonathan’s relationship. David and Bravo currently don’t have any plans for a follow-up project, although they are open to revisiting these characters and plan on collaborating with each other again. Until then, they’ve already released couple parody posters for their film, satirizing “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Brokeback Mountain.”

 
While the story always revolved around a boy chasing his heart, his crush was originally intended to be female. David and Bravo thought their movie would feel more personal, however, if it centered on a same-sex couple. Aside from providing a positive message for kids, they felt that this subject hadn’t been explored in computer animation. Homosexuality has played a role in 2D animations like “The Loud House,” and “The Legend of Korra,” but the most we’ve gotten in computer animation is a brief reference from “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” “In a Heartbeat” could make leeway for more LGBT themes in this genre. Maybe Disney will even give Elsa a girlfriend.
 
Do you agree with our list? Is your heart overflowing with emotion? For more romantic Top 10s and heartwarming Top 5s, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.