Alex Abad-Santos of "Vox" described the short as "one of the best new things on Disney+". He commented that "facial expressions and body language carry the story" despite the general lack of dialogue, adding that "a small shift in posture or the way a frown sharpens an entire face wields so much emotion". Abad-Santos stated that the short's "core story could be a story about assimilation and growing up as a minority" or "it could be about what [it is] like to feel different from those around you". He said that ""Float" taps into the human instinct to fiercely protect someone you love, the worry that the world out there [will not] see them the way you do, and the hope that that big scary world will love this person as much as you do"; he stated that while this "sounds like a lot of ground to cover in seven minutes", the short manages to do that very well. "Fortune"'s Ellen McGirt said that Rubio's "own fear that his son would be judged by others is palpable" through this short. "Float" was described as "a film about acceptance" with "a heart-warming story".