The animators wanted to ensure that there was room for mistakes so that viewers could “feel the history of the hand finding its way with the tears and imperfections along the way.”
Prior to the short, Pixar gives a behind-the-scenes explanation from its animators discussing their intention of using a watercolor style aesthetic for the video. The short marks the first attempt from Pixar to feature an openly gay character as its main character and showing a same-sex on-screen kiss. With a little nudge and cosmic interference from his dog, Greg later finds the strength to come out to his family. When his parents show up at this doorstep to help him with moving, Greg frantically shoos away his boyfriend and hides any evidence of their relationship. Out follows the protagonist, Greg as he struggles to tell his family about his boyfriend Manuel while he is in the process of moving.
