SAN FRANCISCO -- In Pixar's newest short "Loop," all a boy and girl have to do is get in a canoe, paddle around a city lake, and get back. But there's a catch. He talks a lot, and she doesn't at all.

One of Pixar’s biggest strengths is its ability to envision fantastic new worlds. But for its newest Disney+ short, “Loop,” it looked closer to home for inspiration. “Loop” follows two teens as they ...