Jun 11, 2024

Watch the trailer for the punk rock musical “(S)KiDS” (Exclusive)

Ahead of the world premiere of (S)KiDS at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on Thursday, June 13, an exclusive first look at the trailer for the first animated feature film from Crooked City Studios and Solis Animation.

Watch below:(S)KiDS is an animated film soundtracked by a new song by Vancouver-based band Rare Americans and tells the story of a disturbed high school senior who questions the truth surrounding his principal.

“As we prepared for the world premiere in Annecy, we reflected on current events, which have seen protests erupt on college campuses around the world, often brutally policed,” said (S)KiDS director and writer Leslie Solis. “(S)KiDS and its tale of punk rock idealism debuts at a time when the younger generation is more aware and empathetic than ever, challenging the moral courage to speak up.

The film is a two-year passion project for Solis, animation director Luis Solis, and producer Leah Solis. The three siblings, along with Rare Americans band founders James and Jared Priestner, operate Crooked City Studios. The partnership between the animation producer and the band began in 2019 when the Solis Trio produced a series of highly successful music videos online for the band. The animation for (S)KiDS was produced by Toronto-based Solis Animation.

(S)KiDS was entirely self-funded and produced with a budget of US$1.12 million.

The team describes how they brought the punk rock opera to life:

(S)KiDS was born out of a collaboration with the independent band Rare Americans. As a privately owned studio ourselves, the story of misunderstood outcasts rang true for both sides. The world premiere in Annecy convinced us that a small group of Canadian punk rockers in ripped jeans and shirts with safety pins might actually belong somewhere. There may be more outliers like us than we realize.

Animation director Lou Solis, who worked with the band Rare Americans, who recorded 23 songs in less than three weeks for the film, tells Cartoon Brew: “We were very excited about the film. The band's raw and earnest emotion was reflected in the hand-drawn style and acting”

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And that visual spirit is reflected in the work of cartoonists like Taiyo Matsumoto in Tekkonkinkreet, contemporary animators like Robert Baley in Gorillaz and Pear Tree and Cigarette, classic 1990s comic artists like Alan Davis in Excalibur from the 1960s, and director Les Solis' own unique blend of influences from the 1960s and 1970s.

(S)KiDS will have its world premiere in Annecy on Thursday, June 13 at 10:30 pm at the Petite Salle theater in Bonlieu. The second screening in Annecy will be on Friday, June 14 at 10:30 p.m. at the Cinéma Pathe.