From Toy Story to Finding Nemo and Up, some of the most moving and impactful films of the last few decades have been animations. Time and time again, we’ve seen animated stories that are funny, profound, beautiful and heartbreaking, often in ways that live-action equivalents would struggle to achieve.

But the latest animated film to grab us by the heartstrings isn’t a creation of Pixar, DreamWorks or Disney. Rather, it’s the work of two US university students – and it’s one of the most touching things we’ve seen all year.

In a Heartbeat is a short film by Beth David and Esteban Bravo, animation students at Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida. It tells the story of Sherwin, a teenage boy with a crush on Jonathan, the most popular boy in school.

Sherwin wants to keep his love for Jonathan hidden away, but his very cute heart has other ideas. It leaps right out of his chest and makes a beeline for the object of its affections – and what happens next may well bring a tear to your eye. (More than one Stylist staffer was sniffling after watching the four-minute short.)

This beautiful animation about two boys falling in love made us all cry