What happens when a robot must say goodbye to its child? This is the central premise behind the trailer for Space Cadet, a 2025 animated film directed by Kid Koala (Eric San). Using playful, simplistic animation and a dreamy soundtrack, the trailer explores the relationship between Celeste, a Space Academy graduate, and her robo-guardian as she embarks on an adventure by herself for the very first time.
Robot has cared for Celeste for most of her life, evidenced by Robot’s meticulously catalogued snapshots of Celeste from early childhood. Why her peers have been raised by other humans while Celeste was raised by a machine the trailer leaves unanswered. What we do know to be true is that the two share an intensely familial relationship, upended by the prospect of Celeste leaving home for an important space mission.
The Space Cadet Trailer Introduces A New All-Ages Adventure
As Celeste touches ground on a strange new planet, Robot returns home to an empty nest and deep feeling of loneliness. Despite the light years between them, it seems that Robot can sense when Celeste encounters danger, having to fend for herself without the guidance she has grown to rely on. While the trailer establishes the emotional weight of the separation, it reveals little about the purpose of Celeste’s mission, the dangers that await her, or whether she will ever return home.
The scenes chosen for the trailer yank at the heartstrings, almost making the viewer forget that not a single word is spoken throughout. Instead, the music, sound effects, and animation convey the feelings of the characters. More interesting is how easily the trailer makes us feel sympathy for a robot, especially during a time when artificial intelligence has become such a topic of concern. With worries about becoming too reliant on technology or forming emotional attachments to ChatGPT, there is something unsettling about how the trailer makes us feel so deeply for a machine. Despite this, it seems to go without saying that tears will be shed in the theaters on Space Cadet’s opening night.
Where Space Cadet Comes From And Who Is Involved
Adapted from Kid Koala’s 2011 graphic novel of the same name, Space Cadet was written by Mylene Chollet, a Quebec screenwriter whose credits include the acclaimed series L’Échappée and Le jeu. Production designer and Head of Story Lillian Chan helped to transform the novel’s original black and white artwork into a vast, colorful universe. The film was produced by Canadian company Les Films Outsiders, with Nathalie Bissonnette, Ginette Petit, and Michel Pradier serving as executive producers.
While Space Cadet is the first feature-length animated film directed by Kid Koala, the Canadian musician and artist has composed for films such as The Great Gatsby, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Baby Driver. He is also known for his five solo albums and two graphic novels, in addition to composing for Cartoon Network, Sesame Street, and Adult Swim. In lieu of using a traditional voice cast for Space Cadet, Kid Koala tells the story using an originally composed score featuring Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Emilíana Torrini, Martha Wainwright, Trixie Whitley, Mariana ‘Ladybug’ Vieira, and Meagan Smith.
Space Cadet made its official world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2025 and was released theatrically in Quebec in February 2026. It will release in the United States on November 13, 2026, in select theaters via production studio Viva Kids.
