Float, Dickinson nominated for Peabody awards

A Filipino American father and son are the main characters in 'Float.'

This year's Peabody Award nominees have been announced and the Disney+ Original Pixar Sparkshort Float and Apple TV+'s Dickinson have been nominated in the Entertainment category.

The Peabody Awards board of jurors on Wednesday (April 6) revealed its 60 nominees for the most compelling and empowering stories released in 2019 across TV, radio and digital media.

Created by Pixar animator Bobby Rubio, Float features the first Filipino American animated characters, which the artist based on his relationship with his son who is autistic.

 

Peabody describes Float as a "figuratively and literally uplifting animated short about parenting a child who is different from their peers."

Dickinson stars Filipino American actor Hailee Steinfeld. Peabody dsscribes the period series: "While set in the appropriate time, this historical dramedy about famous poet Emily Dickinson is infused and energized by a fresh, contemporary sense and sensibility." 

It is the first Peabody nomination for Disney+ and Apple TV+.

Float and Dickinson are nominated against huge hits such as Chernobyl, Fleabag, Stranger Things, Watchman and many more. 

Hailee Steinfeld portrays the poet Emily Dickinson in 'Dickson.'

The Peabody Awards represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and digital media during 2019. 

The nominees were chosen by unanimous vote of 19 jurors from nearly 1,300 entries from television, radio/podcasts and the web in entertainment, news, documentary, children’s and public service programming. The Peabody Awards are based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

“Peabody is proud to champion this year’s nominees who inspire our connection, provoke our thinking and delight our senses. From the communal strength of black women to the eminence of science to the conviction of those who speak up, these stories and their creators celebrate the diversity of human experience and of our democracy,” said Jeffrey P. Jones, executive director of Peabody. “

"Amidst the challenges of our present moment, we can find empathy, entertainment and truth in these nominees.”

Pixar’s 'Wind' is a Korean grandmother’s legacy

PIXAR

A scene from 'Wind.'

ASAM NEWS

The story of Wind, the latest short film from Pixar’s Sparkshort program, is the inspiration of director Edwin Chang.
Meaww reports Chang created an underground world where a grandmother and grandson are trapped. They can’t get out and are forced to live on rocks. No rock is their permanent home as the wind keeps the rocks floating and forces them to move from boulder to boulder. They are determined to get out.

“It’s a metaphor for Korea, a metaphor for immigration, but personally it was inspired by my grandmother,” Chang explains to ABC7. “She was a single mother after the Korean War, and it’s inspired by everything she did to take care of her kids and my dad, feed them, educate them and eventually sending them all the way to the U.S. for a new life.”

Fiction yes, but definitely based on reality

“This makes it feel real. This really has consequences. It’s a real place,” he said.

Unfortunately Chang’s grandmother never got to see her grandson’s finished product. She died before the film could be completed, but she remains vivid through Wind and in Chang’s mind.

Meaww reports the film will leave you teary-eyed. Wind can be seen on the Disney Plus streaming service.

Wind and Float, another short Pixar animated film featuring Asian American characters, are part of an initiative called SparkShorts. 

“The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows," said Pixar president Jim Morris. "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.”

Wind and Float can be viewed on the Disney+ streaming network.

Float creator’s next project is is an arnis-wielding Filipino superhero

Bobby Rubio's latest creation: Dan Reyes, eskrima superhero.

Could we be seeing a Filipino superhero coming out of Pixar?

Bobby Rubio, who created Float featuring the first Filipno animated characters, has been working on a comic book project called "Neighborhood Legend," that fans hope can be turned into an animated feature.

Rubio has been working on "Neighborhood Legend" off-and-on for several years. It's central character is a Filipino American superhero named Dan Reyes, who wields an enchanted Arnis.

Bobby says he wanted to highlight the use of the national sport and indigenous martial arts of the Philippines’ Eskrima also known as Kali or Arnis.

"I did it because I love Nightwing and I love Black Widow and they both use escrima, but I thought it would be nice to have a Filipino superhero actually do the artform for once," said Rubio. "I also want to incorporate Filipino folklore in Neighborhood Legend as well."

There are many interesting characters in the comic book, one of the most striking character is “Liwayway” a blind grandma Eskrima Master and Spiritual Leader (Babaylan) to Dan Reyes. Rubio shared on his Instagram that the classic “Darna”, the adventures of the Filipina superhero, inspired him to create his own Filipino-based character.

Float is streaming on the Disney+ network.

TGIF Feature: Filipino American characters to debut in Pixar's 'Float'

PIXAR

A first: The two lead characters in 'Float' are Filipino Americans.

ASAM NEWS &
VIEWS FROM THE EDGE

Animation takes a new twist, courtesy of Pixar, with its new short Float due out November 12 with the debut of the Disney+ streaming platform.
Float is one of six projects under its SparkShorts banner. It’s from writer/producer Bobby Rubio.

This is believed to be the first time ever Filipino American characters have been featured in animation. It’s also the first time Pixar has introduced Filipino CGI characters.

In his video blog on YouTube, Frank Bernard said SparkShorts is designed to bring more diverse storytelling to Pixar Studios. 

Bernard described the story in Float this way. “The dad has tanned skin, large expressive eyes, a very prominent Filipino nose, and definitely epitomizes the traits of a Filipino father. The fact that he’s depicted as a very protective dad who tries to keep his son grounded, literally, is so Filipino, and it really shows Rubio is tying in his own culture in his work.”

Rubio has worked as a story artist for Incredibles 2, Inside Out, and Monsters University.

“I know what it means to see our culture represented on screen,” Rubio wrote on Twitter.

Rubio has worked on other Pixar hits including Incredibles 2, Inside Out, Up and Monsters and also the animate films Tarzan and Avatar: The Last Airbender series. 

He shared how important it is to finally have characters that represent millions of Filipinos all over the world.

"I am proud to tell our stories. I know what it means to see our culture represented on screen! #RepresentationMatters," he wrote.

Excitement in the Fil Am community is building

"I am so grateful to tell our stories. I know what it means to be underrepresented... I’m going to do my best to tell MORE!" he wrote in another tweet.

Rubio is currently on a separate project entitled Neighborhood Legend, starring yet another Filipino American character in a story set in his hometown of San Diego, California.

You can get a look at all six Pixar SparkShorts in the trailer below.

“The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows,” said Jim Morris, president of Pixar Animation Studios. “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.”

Added Lindsey Collins, vice president of development for Pixar, “We want to nurture our future storytellers and encourage them to share their stories with the world. Who are the future directors and producers and what crazy new ideas do they have brewing? What is the next big breakthrough in our industry? Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of Sparkshorts. The program was created to provide opportunities to a wide array of artists—each with something unique to say.”

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