Disney’s Heartbreaking New Short Film Is a Heavy Way to Start the Weekend

Image: Walt Disney Animation Studios

Disney’s streaming advisories have frequently sparked discourse, with critics debating everything from specific phrasing to the necessity of the alerts themselves. However, the disclaimer preceding the new Disney Plus animated short, Versa—which notes “sensitive content involving loss and grief”—is profoundly justified. This narrative, centered on two celestial beings mourning a stillbirth, is an emotionally raw exploration of heartbreak. The project is deeply personal for writer-director Malcon Pierce, who explains in a live-action introduction that the story was born from his and his wife’s own experience with pregnancy complications.

In this wordless film, we follow two ethereal, luminescent titans who exist on a galactic scale, where nebulae serve as their environment and planets are mere ornaments. As they prepare for parenthood, the woman’s midsection radiates with a golden light, symbolizing the life within. When that light suddenly flickers out, the couple is forced to navigate the desolate landscape of their sorrow, both individually and as a pair.

Image: Walt Disney Animation Studios

Pierce articulates their psychological journey through fluid, balletic choreography amidst shifting cosmic dust. Their mourning follows a distinct trajectory: initial shared agony, followed by a painful period of estrangement where the woman clings to an empty cradle while the man retreats in avoidant despair. Their physical forms literally fracture under the weight of their grief, only to be mended with gold-infused seams—an evocative reference to kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with precious metals to honor its history rather than hide its flaws.

While Versa is a visual masterpiece saturated with vibrant hues and staggering scale, its reception will likely be as varied as the experience of grief itself. Child loss is a volatile subject for a studio like Disney to explore; for some viewers, the film’s conclusion—where the couple eventually finds healing and welcomes another child—may offer a sense of catharsis, while others might find the resolution uncomfortably swift. Ultimately, the short feels like a sincere, autobiographical transmission of Pierce’s own healing process, communicated straight from the heart.

For adult enthusiasts of the medium, Versa is a compelling and beautiful work, but the content warning should be taken with absolute sincerity.

Source: Polygon