In Pixar’s short “Kitbull,” the kitten befriends a pit bull.
The film follows a stray kitten living around garbage cans in San Francisco’s Mission District and a pit bull chained in a nearby yard. The dog is being used in dogfighting, so the kitten initially fears him. Their relationship begins when they cautiously play with a bottlecap, creating a small moment of trust despite the dog’s frightening circumstances.
The pit bull later suffers serious injuries after a fight, while the kitten becomes trapped in plastic packaging during a storm. Although the frightened kitten scratches the dog, it eventually returns to comfort him. Their friendship helps both animals escape their abusive environment.
“Pit bull” is the film’s accepted description, rather than a more specific officially identified breed. The term commonly refers to several related dog types and mixes, so answers such as American Pit Bull Terrier may be more specific than the short itself establishes. “Kitbull” was part of Pixar’s SparkShorts program and was nominated for an Academy Award.