Josh Daws, a former Disney software engineer, has released a new animated short that is touching hearts across the internet. While the story’s theme is explained through a quote from C.S. Lewis, Daws later revealed on social media that it also reflects his own personal and professional experiences.
Titled You Too?, Daws sets the stage in the video’s description, writing: “Sometimes the thing you’re most afraid to say out loud is the very thing someone else has been waiting to hear.” He goes on to explain, “I made a little paper-cut animated short about loneliness, honesty, and the birth of friendship.”
You can watch the video here.
A Simple Story About Finding Connection
The short film centers on a young girl living in a busy, old-world village. Everyone around her, young and old alike, has a blue cartoon speech bubble floating above their heads. What the villagers might actually be saying is not important; rather, the color reflects a uniformity of thought.
A moment from the short ‘You Too?’ – Josh Daws, YouTube
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When the girl shyly removes a yellow speech bubble from her jacket, the villagers initially stare at her in shock. Moments later, however, they simply return to ignoring her. The girl reacts with visible loneliness, unaware that nearby, a young boy has raised a yellow speech bubble of his own like a sign. Once she notices him, the boy approaches, and together they walk to watch the sunset over the sea.
The film concludes with a thought from C.S. Lewis’s The Four Loves: “Friendship is born at the moment one person says to another, ‘What? You too? I thought I was the only one.'”
A Universal Experience With a Personal Meaning
While the music and character designs encourage viewers to share in the emotion of the moment, the story itself is universally relatable. Regardless of one’s interests, experiences, or beliefs, nearly everyone has experienced the feeling of being alone in a crowd.
Scene from the short ‘You Too?’ – Josh Daws, YouTube
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One user on X commented that the animated short could also be viewed as a political allegory, offering the example of two pro-life individuals in a community discovering that they are not alone.
It’s what it felt like finding a fellow conservative at Disney. 😁
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) July 2, 2026
Daws, who left Disney after 12 years with the company, later shared his own personal connection to the theme of the film.
“It’s what it felt like finding a fellow conservative at Disney,” Daws wrote, followed by a laughing emoji.
From Mary Sue to You Too?
Just days before releasing You Too?, Josh Daws was already generating significant online attention with his AI-animated The Continuing Adventures of Mary Sue shorts. Created in the style of recent Disney CGI animation, Daws explained during an appearance on the WDW Pro Show that Mary Sue was inspired by the trailer for Hexed and the prevalence of “girl-boss” characters over the past decade.
Mary Sue doesn’t need a man to protect her. pic.twitter.com/SkQxgy0dNG
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) June 21, 2026
The former Disney engineer suggested that he had grown tired of stories centered on characters who discover they were “really awesome this whole time and just needed to build confidence.” By contrast, he described Mary Sue as a character who “starts with these false beliefs, confronts reality, and then has to… acknowledge that her belief system is wrong.”
Many viewers have noted that Daws managed to make his point through gentle humor in a way that neither belittles the audience nor mocks Mary Sue herself.
The End of Gatekeeping in Entertainment
As emerging technologies continue to dismantle many of the traditional gatekeeping structures that have defined modern entertainment, Disney-style storytelling is becoming accessible to a wider range of creators. Josh Daws felt like an outsider during his time at Disney, and he ultimately used that experience to share a deeply personal and touching story with his audience.
A moment from the short ‘You Too?’ – Josh Daws, YouTube
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In time, his work may be joined by countless others pursuing similar creative paths. Audiences who have felt abandoned by contemporary Hollywood could soon find themselves reaching out to the creators of their entertainment and saying, “What? You too? I thought I was the only one.”
What do you think of You Too? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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