Out (2020 film)


Out is a 2020 American animated short film directed and written by Steven Hunter, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The plot features a young gay man who has not yet come out to his parents unexpectedly has his mind magically swapped with his dog's. The seventh short film in the SparkShorts series, it is both Disney's and Pixar's first short to feature a gay main character and storyline, including an on-screen same-sex kiss. The short was released on Disney+ on May 22, 2020.

Plot

A magical cat and dog appear outside Greg's townhouse, as he and his boyfriend Manuel are packing his belongings to move. The cat imbues the collar of Greg's dog Jim with magic. Inside, reminiscing about a photo of them together, Manuel encourages Greg to come out to his parents, who unexpectedly show up to help. Greg hastily hides the photo and Manuel quietly exits by the back door. Holding Jim's collar, Greg casually wishes aloud that he were a dog, and the minds of Greg and Jim magically switch bodies. "Greg" runs outside to play in the yard, where his stoic father is lighting the grill. "Jim" tries to get to him, while also frantically trying to prevent his eagerly helpful mother from finding the photo.
Frustrated by the dog's misbehavior, she sits and talks aloud of her sadness about her son moving away, as "Jim" listens. Imagining a conversation with Greg, she hopes that he finds someone who loves him, and "that he makes you happy". "Jim" suddenly realizes that she not only already knows that he is gay, but she also accepts it. He briefly comforts her, then chases down "Greg", and successfully switches their minds back. That evening, Greg introduces Manuel to his parents; Greg's father spontaneously hugs Manuel. The magical cat and dog see their mission accomplished, and leap away on a rainbow.

Cast

Out is the seventh film in Pixar's "SparkShorts" program. It was directed and written by Steven Clay Hunter, known for animating scenes on Finding Nemo and WALL-E, and produced by Max Sachar, known for his work on Coco and Toy Story 3.

Music

composed the music for Out. The score was released on May 22, 2020.

Release

Out was released on Disney+ on May 22, 2020.