Disney short film 'Versa' showcases the value of every preborn child

The newest short film from Disney Animation, "Versa," is being praised for its pro-life messages as it explores themes of family, grief, love, and loss.

Key Takeaways:

• Artistic director Malcon Pierce based the film on the Albireo star system, in which two stars orbit each other, as well as the tragic loss of his son he suffered with his wife, Keely.

• "Versa" explores the couple's joy at expecting a new baby, the devastation they feel when the baby dies, how they each grieve the loss, and eventually, come to a place of love and acceptance.

• In the film, it is clear that the loss of the child is not forgotten, as the couple bears the scars of grief forever, but finds a way to live with them.

• "Versa" is being praised for its strong pro-life themes.

The Backstory:

Malcon Pierce, who previously worked on "Moana," told Deadline that he had been trying to think of a story based on the Albireo star system, in which two stars — one blue and one yellow — orbit each other. But he hadn't been able to find the right message, until tragedy struck.

"During the production of Moana (2016), my wife and I were expecting our son, Cooper, but we had some complications during the pregnancy, and he ultimately ended up passing away," Pierce said. "And this reset my wife and I in a very big way. I was just thinking about grief as this incredibly big and nearly impossible thing to get over."

Their separate methods of grieving became the story of "Versa." While Pierce tried to avoid his grief over the loss, his wife, Keely, embraced her grief. Pierce said he kept himself distracted and couldn't even go into the nursery until Keely gently urged him to. He said:

"What I expected to happen when I entered the nursery happened. I felt like I got split open. Everything was just so heavy; I never made sounds like that before. My wife took a picture of that moment. Then afterwards, we had this picture of the two of us in there, and later on, I was looking at these photos, and it was such a turning point in my experience with this story.

I realized in this picture she took of us, my wife had this star pendant that a friend of ours made – and on top of that, she started a non-profit for foster children named Cooper’s Totes –  and she was smiling in the nursery. And in hindsight, Cooper’s [theme] was 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,' and everything we had for him was star-themed and star-related."

Since the release of "Toy Story" in 1995, Disney and Pixar have included production babies — children born during production of the films — in the film credits.

"[A]t the end of Moana, I asked John Musker and Ron Clements if we could put a little star next to Cooper’s name in the credits, and they agreed," he said. "So, after that, everything started to come back around to this idea that I had learned so much from this experience and felt a need to continue to share that experience, and decided that maybe that’s the story for this high star concept that I had in my head for so long. So that was the genesis of everything, and then the thematic story came together, and we were off to the races." 

This is the story in "Versa," though there is no dialogue. The couple in the story excitedly prepares for a new baby, and after the baby passes away, the woman in the story accepts her grief and heartbreak, with cracks visibly rippling across her skin.

The man, however, flees from it, and it is only when the woman helps him accept his grief does he begin to show similar scars across his body.

Eventually, however, the couple finds joy together again, and welcomes a new baby. Through it all, the scars of their loss remain, showing their first child is never forgotten.

Disney’s Versa Review

The Details:

"Versa" got attention in the pro-life movement after Students for Life of America's Kristan Mercer Hawkins highlighted it on X in February. "Disney is finally promoting the pro-life message in its new short film, 'Versa,' premiering next month," she wrote. "The story features a pregnant family and even shows a baby kicking in the womb. More of this, Disney."

The film has since premiered on Disney Plus, and has been received positively in the pro-life movement.

"My wife and I lost a baby in the womb on New Year's Day. I have rarely ever felt such a profound grief," one person wrote on X. "My baby was real. I could never countenance abortion."

"Watched it on Disney Plus Friday night and I thought wow this was beautiful," another added. "Losing a life like that is never easy and I can’t imagine the grief that parents that experience that go through."

Disney has not typically featured pro-life messages, but "Versa" is the second film in less than a year to be celebrated for promoting the value of life; last year's "Fantastic Four" movie likewise featured strong pro-life messages, focusing on the value of every individual life and the importance of motherhood.

The Bottom Line:

Life is always valuable, as "Versa" shows, no matter how long or short that life may be — and every life has meaning.