Ridesharing apps like Lyft and Uber have spent plenty of time trying to show not just how effective they are at getting you around town, but how the drivers themselves are more than emotionless vessels of transportation.
While billboards and TV testimonials have told story after story, Lyft is now taking its gospel of ridesharing into the realm of animation. Today for its own "Lyft Driver Appreciation Day," the San Francisco-based company debuted "June," a seven-minute animated short that's meant to capture the spirit of ridesharing.
The film begins with an elderly woman who's left stranded after her car is demolished. She is introduced to Lyft by her daughter, and it goes from being a quick ride to something of a retirement gig for Grandma. (There's even a bit of a winter twist with some holiday-style goodwill along the way.)
The film was directed by Oscar-winning director John Kahrs, whose 2012 Disney animated short, "Paperman," told a whimsical love story about paper plains and real trains.
" 'June' connects communities by blurring lines between riders and drivers and highlighting that we are all one in the same," Lyft creative director Ricardo Viramontes said in a statement. "This film was inspired by the Lyft drivers and passengers who make it more than just a ride, and as John Kahrs and I read through countless stories, we realized there was a strong common theme of people coming together through the Lyft experience."
"June" features original music from Emmy-winning composer Christophe Beck. It also features an original song, "Moving," by Sir the Baptist, who spent two years driving for Lyft in Chicago while pursuing his dream of becoming a hip-hop artist.
