Animated Punk Musical ‘(S)KiDS’ Makes World Premiere at Annecy

Among the many animated feature gems being presented at the 2024 Annecy Festival next week, audiences can rock with the world premiere of (S)KiDS, as part of the Midnight Specials program of “gutsy and daring” nocturnal screenings. Featuring all-new music from Vancouver punk band Rare Americans, the 2D musical is the debut feature from Crooked City Studios in partnership with Solis Animation.

Set in 1993, in the City of Champions, (S)KiDS follows a group of disaffected teens trying to navigate their last year of high school while questioning their roots and questioning the truth.

“Bringing (S)KiDS to life was a whirlwind two-year adventure.  This 80+ minute punk rock musical was realized through the dedicated efforts of 20 talented artists who became dear friends,” says screenwriter-director Les Solis. “As we prepare for the world premiere at [Annecy Festival] ’24, we reflect on current events, with protests erupting on college campuses worldwide, often met with brutal crackdowns. The story of (S)KiDS and its punk rock idealism debuts at a time when younger generations are more aware and empathetic than ever, challenging our moral courage to speak out.”

Rare Americans frontman and (S)KiDS co-creator James Priestner adds, “(S)KiDS is my favorite recording experience in my career.  When we started writing (S)KiDS two years ago, I knew it was a bold project to tackle. How many independent bands have you heard of making a feature-length animated punk rock musical?!  The recording process was intense and, short of a better word, almost magical. We recorded 23 songs in less than three weeks, working 12 hours a day.  We set up a makeshift studio at my brother’s house, stayed there, ate every meal together, and listened to the songs we just recorded as we ate. It was a collective effort by everyone to get this project over the finish line! I am so excited for our fans to see it at Annecy and around the world.”

Crooked City Studios was established in 2022 as a joint venture between Rare Americans and award-winning Toronto indie Solis Animation (Ugly Americans, Moonbeam City, Gary and His Demons, Zimmer Twins), following their 2019 collaboration on a series of animated music videos which wracked up more than 119 million views on YouTube. Solis Animation principals, siblings Leah Solis, Les Solis and Lou Solis, form Crooked City’s leadership team together with Rare Americans’ James Priestner and Jared Priestner.

“(S)KiDS was born out of a collaboration with independent band Rare Americans. As an independently run studio ourselves, the story of being misunderstood outcasts rang true for both our camps,” notes Lou Solis, (S)KiDS animation director. “Having our world premiere at Annecy helps to assure us that maybe our little group of Canadian punk-rockers, in torn jeans and safety-pinned shirts, might actually belong somewhere. Maybe there are a lot more outcasts like us than we realize.”

Prodcuer Leah Solis sums up: “We are extremely excited that (S)KiDS will world premiere at this year’s [Annecy Festival]. It’s such a unique film that features entirely new songs by Rare Americans and showcases our animation, which is aesthetically different from a lot of styles currently out there. We’re really hoping that this labor of love will broaden our reach and continue to unlock more opportunities to welcome more people into this special community we’ve been building these last few years.”

(S)KiDS writer-director Les Solis is a Juno-nominated director for the animated music video “Intruders” by Jessie Reyez and is best known for co-directing The Secret Path, an animated film bringing to light the long-suppressed mistreatment of Indigenous children and families by Canada’s residential schools. His works have collected millions of views and streams worldwide.

Lou Solis, the movie’s animation director, has been animating professionally for over 20 years. Notable credits include the Comedy Central series Ugly Americans, Moonbeam City, VRV’s Gary and His Demons, Gord Downie’s CSA-winning The Secret Path, and his collaborations with Rare Americans.

Follow the collaborators @crookedcitystudios, @solisanimation and @rareamericans on Instagram and TikTok.