Pixar’s Newest Short Film Centers Around a Beautiful Coming Out Story

Pixar and Disney have steadily been tackling heavier topics in their movies and shorts in recent years. For example, Inside Out tackled emotional development and how to process complex feelings; Frozen smartly twisted the classic “true love” trope and had the sisters save each other; and Zootopia made a clever statement about racial profiling. Now, Pixar has released a new short onto Disney’s streaming service, Disney Plus, that features the studio’s first gay main character.

The 9-minute short, titled Out, tells the story of Greg, a man who is getting ready to move with his boyfriend, Manuel, but has not yet come out to his parents. However, when his parents show up on moving day, things take a turn and Greg somehow switches bodies with his rambunctious dog, Jim, allowing him to gain a new perspective and learn how important it is to be true to yourself.

The film, which premiered on Disney Plus on Friday, May 22, is one of the seven films that are part of Pixar’s SparksShorts program. The program aims to “discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows,” Jim Morris, president of Pixar, said on the studio’s website. “These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare.”

It’s no secret that there needs to be more representation on screen. However, in the past few years, Disney and Pixar have begun to close gaps in diversity and inclusiveness. “Over the past few years, L.G.B.T.Q. characters and stories have become common in the kids and family entertainment space with little controversy, but with large celebration from L.G.B.T.Q. families with children who have longed to see themselves represented,” Jeremy Blacklow, director of entertainment media at GLAAD, said on Sunday, according to The New York Times. “By centering on a young gay man, ‘Out’ just raised the bar for inclusion in kids and family programming.”

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