J. A. Bayona, the director of “A Monster Calls” and the coming movie “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” tweeted, “Is this the best animation (short) film of the year?”

Not bad for a first project.

The filmmakers, Beth David, 21, and Esteban Bravo, 24, made the short for their senior thesis while at Ringling College of Art and Design, where they recently graduated, in Sarasota, Fla.

It was a labor of love that took about one and a half years, a Kickstarter campaign and a journey to Los Angeles, where they did a live recording of the score. They knew people were captivated by the film’s concept when donations surpassed their $3,000 goal, eventually reaching $14,000. (The money was used, in part, to hire the composer Arturo Cardelús, whose soundtrack for the film is now on Spotify.)

Even so, they couldn’t have predicted this.

“It’s mind-blowing to me,” Ms. David said in an interview, adding that people want to see gay-themed stories “in a positive light.”

Mr. Bravo, who is from Mexico City, was similarly stunned by the response. “It’s really surreal,” he said, adding later, “I hope I give a good name to people from my country.”