Another outstanding film coming from from Pixar’s SHORTSPARKS programme that highlights the hardships of a gay couple in a subtle, emotional and hilarious manner – ‘Out’ is a the tale of conquering your fears and valuing your love above everything else.

‘Out’ by Steven Clay Hunter is the story of the protagonist Greg whose biggest hurdle in life is trying to figure out how to come out as gay to his parents, when they show up at his house, unannounced. Though the comical interactions that follow make for highly entertaining watching, they do not dampen the impact of the core message of the film which is to highlight the stigma attached to the subject of openly gay relationships.

What makes this film special is that it is a simple story weaved beautifully around five characters - A boy, his boyfriend his dog and his parents. The story follows the rules of good writing all the way where a hero has a goal to achieve, faces obstacles in his journey and how it changes his life.

The story successfully threads the needle of the sensitivity of the subject matter and portrays the emotions and fear of uncertainty humans have when communicating with others on such sensitive topics. The manner in which the protagonist’s fears are alleviated when he understands his mother’s stand on his sexuality is heartwarming and relatable.

‘Out’ is largely driven by Steven’s personal experiences of coming out. Steven hails from a small town in Canada. In the eighties, when he was growing up, speaking out on the topic of homosexuality was taboo and being gay was considered illegal.

The Twilight Zone was a major influence for Steven’s Oscar shortlisted short. It is highlighted in his choice of setting: a “Freaky Friday-esque” sequence where the protagonist and his dog exchange consciousnesses. ‘Out’ is set in a world without limits and everything is magical or mystical yet very real.

Steven decided to opt for the classic hand-drawn 2D style painted frames but with little tears and imperfect texturing making the film “unique in it’s own way”.