KITBULL. Beautiful, Moving Animated Films

Pixar has already accustomed us to beautiful, moving animated films, and Kitbull is no exception. Director Rosana Sullivan, as part of the SparkShorts initiative promoting independent productions by the studio’s animators, created a short film about an unusual friendship. Thanks to its use of simple, hand-drawn imagery, 2D animation, and soft background colors, Kitbull stands in clear contrast to the studio’s famous mega-productions. Yet this intimacy and simplicity give the short an undeniable charm that also serves the story being told.

The film follows a homeless black kitten who unexpectedly gains a new neighbor. The animal warily observes a pit bull restrained by a heavy chain, who moves into a doghouse next to the kitten’s cardboard-box residence. Unexpectedly, however, an extraordinary bond begins to form between the two four-legged creatures. What is most interesting about this Pixar animation is that it tells a classically animal-centered story. Humans appear only as third-plan characters, deprived of voices and faces. The camera records events from the animals’ point of view, and their world is portrayed as full of dangers and lurking threats.

Moreover, the director illustrates canine and feline behavior with great authenticity and humor. At last, someone dared to show a kitten not as a dignified, refined creature, but as clumsy and scatterbrained—one that, while playing with a bottle cap, clownishly revels in a delight bordering on madness. And I know what I’m writing about, because I myself have a pair like that: they leap across shelves with the poise of ballerinas, yet manage to trip over their own legs. Such a portrayal of four-legged companions is not only closest to the truth, but also serves as the seed for many visual gags and jokes that will have viewers—especially those watching with pets—laughing to tears.

Not a single word is spoken in Kitbull. The film, somewhat reminiscent of an animal pantomime, is bathed only in quiet music interwoven with occasional meows and barks. The images crafted by Rosana Sullivan speak for themselves, telling a bittersweet story of a friendship that rationally should not exist, yet emerges in the face of the dangers of the human world. When people fail, a large, seemingly menacing dog and a tiny, brave kitten join forces.

This brief, barely nine-minute animation presents itself as a film full of emotion, charm, and sweetness. It comes as no surprise—Pixar often manages to subtly and deftly combine a serious, painful subject with wit and humor. The relationship between the main characters is sketched in such an engaging, likable, and enchanting way that Kitbull would not suffer from being expanded into a feature-length film. For now, however, this modest miniature is enough to put the viewer in a good mood.