8 Reasons to Watch "Soft and Squishy" Animated Film, Boys Go To Jupiter
This artsy coming-of-age story balances a beautifully weird world with relatable characters, cozy vibes, and magical energy.
Julian Glander’s art is truly some of my favorite to gawk at and send to friends. If you ask me who my favorite animator is- as someone who LOVES the medium, from seeing the first Spiderverse on opening night to endless hours ingesting every episode of Avatar and Steven Universe- I’d still say Glander takes the cake.
Imagine me wide-eyed after finding his Instagram feed a few years back, after coming across his own videogame (listed as an ‘artistic fulfilment simulator’) called Art Sqool. I fell in absolute admiration for his unique animation style, full of squishy fun worlds that never failed to surprise and upend expectations. Since then, he's been featured in the New York Times, several TV shows, and is sharing his debut feature film, Boys Go To Jupiter.
Boys Go To Jupiter, is a colorful celebration of the weird and wonderful worlds Glander has become an expert at creating, specifically on the free-to-use animation platform called Blender. The 90-minute movie is genuinely fun, balances important themes from hope to hustle culture, and proves to be an exemplary coming-of-age story.
Check out my review / genuine hype for the film on Philly film blog MovieJawn, where I even got some quotes from Glander himself! Consider grabbing tickets to catch Boys Go To Jupiter, as it’s in theaters if you’re in a big city! Let’s hope it comes to streamers sometime soon, as everyone deserves to laugh and love along with this artistic vision coming to life.
8 Reasons to Watch Boys Go To Jupiter
1. Sarah Sherman Remains Her Crazy Self
Sarah Sherman has cemented her insane self as one of my favorite new SNL cast members. Sure, she’ll pop a meatball-sized pimple made of makeup and other feats merging the best of the comedic and grotesque, but now we’re seeing her voice acting skills in Boys Go To Jupiter- and she does not disappoint! Sherman voices a hilariously shaped character, who shouts from her car in a way that will make you giggle for the whole bit. She also voices a nosy church lady neighbor who screams about eternal damnation, and as a Jewish person (like me!) I bet it was so fun to parody hell-fearing nutsos. Sherman doesn’t disguise her voice or add anything extra– and she absolutely doesn’t need to. She infused extreme amounts of life and personality in her few moments of screentime, and I couldn’t be prouder to stan her.
2. Main Character Billy 5000 is an Interesting, Nonchalant Genius
Billy 5000 is a great protagonist that a lot of viewers will find relatable. He’s rolling through the motions, literally, as he travels on a tiny hoverboard around his colorful Floridian city that’s stalled in winter. We learn he has an impressive ability, able to calculate math quickly, which earned him the sick nickname, ‘Billy 5000’. He’s effortlessly nonchalant, chill AF, yet brings much more to the table than your stereotypical slacker. He dropped out of high school and is hiding it from the nurse sister he’s crashing with, who always offers advice sandwiched between comically dark health warnings. The line delivery of “Don’t slip in the shower, it happens way more than you think” is hilarious, and between authentic words of affirmation make the world Billy inhabits feel even more honest. Billy 5000 finds opportunity, some romance, stumbles into a bit of accidental corporate espionage, and has a few rude awakenings to the wild world around him, which includes shoving ‘spugatti’ through a door slot when doing a food delivery for a mere 70-cent tip. Like any real person, Billy 5000 grinds for the dollar to achieve his goal of being independent. When he stumbles upon a cute and adorable miracle, you find yourself caring a ton about this movie’s main oddball. We root for Billy 5000, “The Human Calculator,” who’s just tired of being tired.
3. A Weird Watch in the Best Ways
The movie is so freaking weird, from the unhinged plot to quirky character designs. It’s a gentle rollercoaster, very manageable but still thrilling enough to be worth the price of admission. In the flick, there’s a scene with a bunch of chickens and someone selling eggs that are actually just colorful mini golf balls hit over from the course next door. Then a cool beat-backed song breaks out about the golf balls as they pour from the sky like raindrops in a fever dream sequence extravaganza. Every odd moment is made even cooler to see play out because of the art style. Glander captures these moments from many strange angles that allow us to get so intimate with the characters, feeling their feelings. No restrictions exist on this film, from the creative and strange story to the actual animation we see on screen.
4. The Little Donut Alien Guy!
The little donut guy becomes Billy 5000’s new best friend, and I wish he would become mine too! Adorable in every way, we even see it guzzle down soda with a major smile. I won’t spoil the ending or how everything ties together, but the tiny fellow’s adventures with Billy 5000 are as wholesome and delicious as a donut itself. The donut creature helps Billy 5000 learn to take care of himself and see the world in a new way, a bond that shall never be broken (but possibly eaten).
5. Julian Glander’s Mesmerizing Music
The music is, as expected, so unforgettable! Bop after bop, all merging techno and ethereal experimental with spoken word poetry. I’m an avid listener to the title track from Glander’s video game Art Sqool, and was so thrilled to see his lo-fi style back in action. A lot of songs feel full of nostalgia and hope, elevating the existential vibe that’s present throughout the film. Very summer 2016 ‘anything is possible’ vibes! Listen to the film’s accompanying album even if you can’t get a chance to see the movie- it’s a great introduction to the creative prowess Glander drips in spades.
6. Glander Shared Why He’s Motivated
Julian Glander is so awesome. He’s been so sweet to answer my plentiful fan DMs on Instagram and even offered an answer to the following question: Do you have any advice to keep your creative spark lit? How do you stay motivated? He replied, “I don't! Sometimes I am very not motivated and I'm trying to lean into that. It comes and goes. I think when you're in a creative rut it's nice to take your mind off of things. The idea for Boys Go to Jupiter came to me during the weird days of the pandemic when I wasn't even sure if I wanted to be an artist anymore. I was spending a lot of time cooking, gardening, taking care of my ducks, being outside -- boring stuff that takes a little focus, but not too much focus. You just have to live a full life and take things in, and then ideas come to you. There is no recipe for the creative spark, that's what makes it so cool.”
7. Amazing Art
The backgrounds in this movie feel just as important and full of life as the characters. The art and care put into every computer-crafted environment, from drained community pools where the teens chill to an incredible rock tunnel sequence in the film's epic climax, is all a testament to Glander's spectacular work. It’s all squishy and fun, inviting you in for the softest adventure yet. Even trees look soft enough to bounce on. On what inspires his special style, “Like many artists, it seems I am constantly processing the imagery of childhood - candy, toys, cartoons. The Sims was a big visual touchstone for this movie, specifically this sort of detached, isometric worldview.”
8. Inclusion of Julio Torress, Cole Escola and more.
Queer icons Julio Torres and Cole Escola pop up in the piece! When asked about how he made their acquaintances, Glander shared, “Just lucky, I guess! I had worked with Julio on our kids' book, I Want To Be a Vase, and I had worked with Cole on a cartoon called Summer Camp Island. He played the voice of a judgmental sea slug. I think I originally met both of them on Instagram. Two freaking geniuses.”
Follow the legendary Julian Glander on Insta, check out his impressive portfolio of work (you may recognize some stints working on The Amazing World of Gumball and Summer Camp Island), and keep up with his journey of debuting his first feature film.