"Boys Go to Jupiter": Animated Odyssey Explores Friendship, Gig Work, and Queer Resilience

“Boys Go to Jupiter,” released in 2025 and directed by Julian Glander, is a feature-length animated film that blends absurdist humor, heartfelt social commentary, and a uniquely tactile digital aesthetic. Set in the sun-bleached sprawl of suburban Florida, the story orbits around Billy 5000, a 16-year-old who has dropped out of high school and now hustles to make $5,000 by New Year’s Eve delivering food for the exploitative app Grubster—a clear nod to the gig economy realities facing today’s youth .

Billy’s support system includes Freckles, a lanky redheaded friend; Beatbox, whose comic jabs at Grubster provide some of the film’s sharpest moments; and Peanut, the youngest and most innocent of the group. These characters spend their days loitering around empty swimming pools, strip malls, and chain restaurants—a landscape rendered in Glander’s signature lo-fi CGI style, reminiscent of Playmobil sets and vintage video games .

The film’s inciting incident arrives when Billy, on a routine delivery to the Dolphin Groves Juice Company, stumbles into a surreal chain of events. He reunites with his childhood crush, Rozebud, and discovers a gelatinous, big-eyed alien named Donut stowed away in his backpack. This encounter sets off a bizarre chase involving Dr. Dolphin, a ruthless juice mogul voiced by Janeane Garofalo, who will do anything to reclaim her extraterrestrial “property” .

As the plot unfolds, Billy faces a dilemma: exchange Donut for a life-changing payout or protect his new friend from corporate exploitation. The narrative deftly satirizes the gig economy’s promises and pitfalls, portraying a generation forced to choose between survival and solidarity .

What distinguishes “Boys Go to Jupiter” from standard animated fare is its affirming approach to marginalized and LGBTQ+ characters. The voice cast includes prominent queer actors such as Julio Torres and Cole Escola, and the film’s tone is inclusive without veering into tokenism . Moments of friendship and chosen family are central, with relationships depicted in a way that normalizes a spectrum of identities and emotional bonds.

Director Julian Glander’s script avoids reducing LGBTQ+ experiences to narrative devices; instead, it weaves them into the fabric of Billy’s world, where economic hardship, familial struggle, and the search for belonging intersect. The film’s vaporwave soundtrack and pastel color palette reinforce its embrace of difference and fluidity, both aesthetically and thematically .

Produced in just 90 days using the open-source software Blender, “Boys Go to Jupiter” is as much a testament to indie innovation as it is a critique of gig work and late capitalism . The film’s lo-fi look, described as “dreamy and surreal” by critics, sets it apart from high-gloss studio animations, inviting viewers into a world that feels both familiar and uncanny .

Critical reception has highlighted the film’s blend of genres—action, fantasy, romance, comedy, and social satire—calling it a “weirdo DIY feel” and a “vapor-soaked fable for the burnout generation” . Its musical interludes, written by Glander, infuse the story with moments of levity and introspection, while the tactile, childlike production design recalls the imaginative spaces of youth—further underscoring the film’s themes of resilience and hope.

“Boys Go to Jupiter” is poised to join the ranks of contemporary queer animation that challenges norms and expands the possibilities for storytelling. By centering working-class characters and LGBTQ+ perspectives within a genre often dominated by escapist fantasies, the film offers a resonant, timely narrative for audiences navigating a rapidly changing world .

With its distinctive style, inclusive sensibility, and willingness to tackle the anxieties and aspirations of a new generation, “Boys Go to Jupiter” stands as a vibrant, affirming addition to the canon of LGBTQ+ and independent animation.

https://www.cartuna.com/distribution/boys-go-to-jupiter