Animated video about middle school boy’s attraction to another boy goes viral

The animated short video “In a Heartbeat” — about a “closeted” middle school boy who “runs the risk of being outed by his own heart after it pops out of his chest to chase down the boy of his dreams” — has garnered more than 21 million views and 188,000 comments as of Monday after hitting YouTube only a week ago.

The 4-minute clip, which contains no dialogue, shows a red-haired boy (Sherwin) obsessing and following a dark-haired boy (Jonathan) — the “most popular boy” among their classmates — as they walk toward Newgate Junior High School. Sherwin’s heart literally does pop out of his chest and pursues Jonathan — much to the embarrassment of Sherwin, who appears terrified by his feelings: CONTINUE