Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary!
by Alex Billington
June 29, 2026
Source: YouTube
A coming of age space western about a boy on a quest that will change him. Enjoy this 9-minute animated short film titled Lucky Brave’s Sunshine, animated in Ecuador and made by the two filmmakers Joseph Game & Andres Aguilar. After first premiering in 2023 and playing at film festivals for the past 3 years, this short is now available online to watch. An award-winning animated sci-fi adventure. A plucky young cowboy travels to a nearby planet and joins forces with an adorable, luminous creature so they can escape the threat of predators. Lucky must go on a quest to find a cure that will heal his ailing grandmother and many of the planet’s inhabitants, but at what cost? Indeed… The most important question within this excellent animated short. Don’t hurt the glowing space doggie! Leave him alone! The film is based on Chogrin’s original story & characters. Guillermo del Toro is a fan as well, as he posted about it recently. The sci-fi world building and visual design is so unique and vivid, but it’s also the heartfelt story that makes this worthwhile. View below.
Thanks to Guillermo del Toro for the tip on this short debuting online. Original intro via YouTube: “Lucky Brave’s Sunshine is a coming of age space western. Somewhere in space, in a desolate planet lives a young cowboy named Lucky Brave. Lucky must go on a quest to find a cure that will heal his ailing grandmother and many of the planet’s inhabitants, but at what cost?” Lucky Brave’s Sunshine is a short film created by filmmaker Joseph Game aka Chogrin. You can view more of his work on his official site or follow him on IG @chogrin. The short is co-written and co-directed by Andrés Aguilar (aka “Ichi”) and Joseph Game (aka “Chogrin”). It was animated entirely in Ecuador by Matte CG & Inti Fx, and produced by the Mexican filmmaker Jorge R. Gutierrez. This initially premiered at the LALIFF (Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival) in 2023 and played at many other festivals. For more info on the short, visit the film’s official site or head over to YouTube. To enjoy many more shorts (including animation), click here. What did you think?
