How a $30K Animated Indie Scored a Theatrical Run — Then Landed on HBO

Apr 3, 2026

Julian Glander, animator-director who made the microbudget animated feature Boys Go to Jupiter for about $30,000, shares his DIY path from self-teaching Blender to premiering at Tribeca. He talks scrappy production charm, a 50+ festival tour, festival strategies and financing, building a theatrical rollout with Cartuna, and how the film ultimately landed on HBO Max.

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INSIGHT

Open Source Tools Made Indie Animation Possible

Using Blender and open-source communities made a feature-scale animation feasible without studio budgets.
Julian relied on tutorials, forums, Reddit and community-written Python to solve technical problems during production.

INSIGHT

Scrappiness Became The Film's Selling Point

Embracing the film's scrappy, handcrafted look became an asset rather than a liability.
Julian initially hid how 'scrappy' it was, then learned audiences loved the laptop-made origin story at festivals.

ANECDOTE

Expectations Versus Reality At Tribeca

Julian expected a quick festival sale after Tribeca but encountered six months of uncertainty and meetings before a distributor signed on.
The wait was emotionally rough despite the film later finding distribution with Cartuna.

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In this episode, GG Hawkins speaks with animator and director Julian Glander about making his microbudget animated feature Boys Go to Jupiter for just $30,000, premiering it at Tribeca, building momentum through a 50-festival run, and eventually landing theatrical distribution and a streaming home on HBO Max. Glander breaks down the realities of producing an animated feature outside the studio system, from teaching himself new tools in Blender to embracing the scrappy story behind the film, negotiating festival fees, navigating distribution conversations, and figuring out what comes next after a breakout first feature.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Julian Glander discuss...

How Glander and producer Payson made Boys Go to Jupiter with a tiny team and a $30,000 budget
Why Blender and open-source communities made an indie animated feature possible
What surprised Glander most about audience reactions to the film’s scrappy origins
The reality check of premiering at Tribeca without an instant splashy acquisition
How a long festival run helped the film build momentum and recoup its budget through screening fees and prizes
Why showing up in person for festival screenings and Q&As can make a lasting impact
How Cartuna helped shape the film’s theatrical rollout
The role of PR, timing, and critical response in helping the film break out theatrically
What it means to let go of control during distribution while still protecting the work
How Glander is thinking about a second feature and resisting the pressure of “heat”

Memorable Quotes:

“You really do have to be delusional and not know what’s going to happen.”
“I was embarrassed by how scrappy it was but it turned out to be like the thing that brings people in and the thing that makes them love it.”
“If you don’t ask for it, you don’t get it.”
“Most things are Googleable.”

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