Malcom Pierce Discusses The Risk Of Pitching “Versa” To Disney. “Grief Is Hard, And The Short…
# **Malcom Pierce Discusses The Risk Of Pitching “Versa” To Disney. “Grief Is Hard, And The Short Touches On This.”** **Hints Release Date For Disney+ In 2026.**
A new screencap of “Versa” has been released via DEADLINE as they interviewed Malcom Pierce on the upcoming short film from Walt Disney Animation Studios who has been shortlisted for a “Best Animated Short Film” nomination at The Academy Awards, 2026.
During the interview, Pierce explained how was the risk of pitching the short to Walt Disney Animation Studios as the studio and the company never have done an story focused on miscarriage and how couples deal with it.
> I was inspired by the infant loss groups that my wife and I would go to. There were a lot of people talking about how they were triggered by watching movies featuring pregnant characters. And there was a lot of conversation about grief within couples who deal with the situation differently – either one of you wants to talk about the issue, or you don’t. So, I eventually saw that this is something a lot of couples go through, and wouldn’t it be cool to have something that can reflect an experience like that and maybe help them relate to one another? I vividly remember a moment in the hospital when I literally thought, “I don’t think I’m ever going to laugh again.” And looking back on that, I was thinking how intense that feeling and thought were. So again, it came back to how I can make something for this community in infant loss and miscarriages. It’s hard to talk about, but it can be impactful.
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> In terms of pitching, I just made it up as I went and put my trust in Jennifer Lee. I was an animation supervisor on _Frozen,_ and through that project, I got to know her well, and I admired how personal she was with her storytelling – she was so vulnerable. I just sent her an email and shared the idea; she was receptive and told me to do it. We put together a slideshow of ideas on how it would look, kind of like elements of Fantasia with musicality, since I’ve always loved performing arts. This project was a great therapeutic thing, and I’m so glad people helped me along the way.
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> My favorite part of all this so far is that we recently played the short at the Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, and there was a meet-and-greet afterward, and a man showed me a picture of his rainbow baby. And I was like, “Oh my God, this is exactly what I wanted for this.” There were so many other people coming up to us, saying that their friends or family members had experienced something similar.
Malcon Pierce mentioned at IG that the short will have a Disney+ release next year. Let’s hope he meant after a theatrical release in front of Pixar Animation Studios “**Hoppers** ”.
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It was touching and heartbreaking to see people come together because of this short film. Grief is so hard, and the short touches on this. — **Malcom Pierce**
