As the same-sex marriage debate reignites in Australian parliament, some of Turnbull's conservative teammates might stand to learn a thing from the internet's latest viral video.

In a Heartbeat, a Pixar-esque short film about a closeted gay boy who anxiously comes to terms with his crush on a fellow schoolmate, has quickly become the talk of the internet, clocking almost eight million views and counting since it was first uploaded to YouTube on Monday.

The film, created by US animation students Esteban Bravo and Beth David off the back of a $US14,000 Kickstarter fund, was the #1 trending clip on the video site on Thursday morning.

The award-winning short focuses on shy redhead Sherwin, 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," a plot description explains.