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Julian Glander is no stranger to crafting distinct, offbeat worlds. The 3D artist and animator, known for his work with Adult Swim, HBO Max, and Cartoon Network, has long been drawn to the intersection of the mundane and the surreal. His latest film, Boys Go to Jupiter, is a dreamy, animated coming-of-age story set in suburban Florida, following a teenager’s desperate attempt to scrape together $5,000 only for his life to spiral into something much stranger. A Story Rooted in Orange Juice The film’s origins are surprisingly grounded. Glander recalls, “One specific inspiration was a New York Times article about Natalie’s Orange Juice, a boutique, high-end orange juice brand in America. The article focused on how the founder named the company after her daughter, Natalie, and was struggling to pass the business on to her. That ended up becoming a small part of the movie, but the idea of the dramatic inner workings of an orange juice company struck me. Being from Florida, where oranges are everywhere, I thought it was an interesting starting point for a story.” But from that initial spark, the film took on a life of its own. “I think it happens on accident at some point it just gets out of my control,” Glander says. “In the writing process, early on, I was just throwing up index cards, building from that core kernel of the story, and asking, ‘What would be interesting here?’ I started writing about a delivery boy, and then he took over, and suddenly it became his movie.” That organic approach extended to casting. “Joe Pera, for example, has a small role, but it was completely written around his persona. A lot of the movie came together in that way.” A Relatable Nightmare Though Boys Go to Jupiter leans into its oddball aesthetic, its portrayal of modern labour is sharply relevant. Billy 5000’s struggles as a delivery driver tap into a deeper commentary on the gig economy’s false promises. “As a freelance illustrator and animator, my work isn’t exactly the same as a delivery driver’s, but there’s a shared experience—getting an email at 11:45 p.m. saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got the assignment of a lifetime,’ and suddenly you’re chugging energy drinks, staying up all night,” Glander explains. “In the early 2010s, there was this excitement around the gig economy—‘I’ll be my own boss, set my own hours’—but over the past decade, that’s really soured. We’ve all seen just how miserable this work can be, and now it’s too late to change the system.” This theme resonated deeply with the film’s lead, Jack, who plays Billy. “The best moment for me was when I sent the script to Jack, and he immediately responded, saying he had worked as an Uber Eats driver in college. He brought so much of that experience to the role, and we even rewrote parts of the script based on his stories.” Surreal Suburbs, and a Balancing Act Visually, Boys Go to Jupiter exists in a universe that feels at once hyperreal and dreamlike. Glander describes his influences: “Texture is really important to me. Looking at my favourite movies, they tend to have this suburban surrealism—films like Napoleon Dynamite, Ghost World, Edward Scissorhands—where it’s the suburbs, but slightly different. A little warmer, a little more magical.” Finding the right balance between visuals and tone was a challenge. “The colours and shapes are so in-your-face that the voice acting had to be grounded, subtle, and deadpan to counteract it. The music sometimes takes the lead, then recedes, and the same goes for the performances. It was a constant juggling act. But really, the cast made it work—if this movie resonates with people, it’s because of them.” The Weird, Surreal Magic of Florida Florida serves as more than just a setting—it’s an essential part of Boys Go to Jupiter’s DNA. Glander describes his fascination with his home state: “Florida is the most American place, it’s how America sees Florida, and how the rest of the world sees America. It’s new—people started moving there en masse in the 1950s, building Disney World, mini-golf courses, and amusement parks. It was all about vacation and escapism. But now, decades later, there’s this stagnation, a kind of dark magic to it. I find it fascinating.” The Making of Boys Go to Jupiter The film’s production was as whirlwind as its narrative. “I started jotting down ideas in my notes app before the pandemic, so the script took about four years to develop. We recorded in the summer of 2023, and it premiered at Tribeca about a year later. The animation was done at an almost psychotic speed!” Despite the tight schedule, the casting process came together swiftly. “In the moment, it felt difficult, but looking back, it happened so fast! We reached out to Sarah Sherman and asked if she could come in the next week, and she just did it. Everyone was such a pro. The strike helped in a weird way—it gave us a sense of urgency. Otherwise, we could still be recording this movie!” Odd, Timely, and Deeply Personal At first glance, Boys Go to Jupiter might seem like a quirky animated odyssey, but beneath its colourful, surreal veneer lies a deeply human story about labour, ambition, and the disorienting journey to adulthood. For Glander, it’s a film that grew in unexpected ways, shaped by personal experiences, collaborations, and a keen awareness of the strange world we live in. “If this movie resonates with people,” he says, “it’s because of the cast. They made it work.” And in the end, Boys Go to Jupiter might just capture something essential—both about the absurdity of modern work and the strange, magical pull of places like Florida, where the ordinary and the surreal blend in ways no one can quite predict. - Lee Hutchison Boys Go To Jupiter will screen at the Glasgow Film Festival on Tuesday March 4th at 8:45pm and Wednesday March 5th at 4:00pm www.glasgowfilm.org/movie/boys-go-to-jupiter/ |
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