More than 25 years after the release of his debut album, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – still considered a major milestone of turntablism – Kid Koala continues to follow his own path, and has now added “directing animated films” to his multi-media skills.
Even though he’s now fifty-something, the name Kid Koala still suits Eric San perfectly. A childlike sense of wonder lies at the heart of his work, and his latest project, Space Cadet, only deepens that approach.
Adapted from his own graphic novel – for which he’d already composed a soundtrack, as he did with Nufonia Must Fall back in 2003 – Space Cadet is a touching fable that explores themes of abandonment, grief, and loneliness through the story of a young space explorer and her companion robot.
“I created that story to help me get through a difficult time after my grandmother passed away and my daughter was born,” says Kid Koala. “Like most of my creations, that project helped me make sense of the emotions I was going through. I showed the film at several international festivals and, to my surprise, I got a lot of really emotional reactions. Whether it was in Germany, Mexico, or Korea, people came up to me in tears after the screening to tell me how deeply it had moved them.”
Though he first made his name behind the turntables, Kid Koala has always been a multi-media artist, blurring the lines between different forms of creative expression. Yet despite his clear affinity for visual storytelling, he approached this new cinematic venture with humility.
“Let’s just say the learning curve was steep,” says the artist, with his usual modesty. “It’s true, like you mentioned, I have this huge capacity for wonderment that keeps me constantly learning. Creating Space Cadet really showed me how every single member of a team plays a crucial role in making a film, and that there’s no way I could have pulled off this adaptation on my own.”
Select the image to access the trailer for Space Cadet
While he’s naturally drawn to working alone – whether behind the turntables or with a pencil in hand – Kid Koala is also a born collaborator, as shown through many of his projects, from Bullfrog to Deltron 3030, and his performances with puppeteers, or string quartets. The soundtrack accompanying Space Cadet is another brilliant collaborative effort: Koala reunites with Iceland’s Emilíana Torrini and U.S. artist Trixie Whitley, both of whom lent their voices to the two meditative volumes of Music to Draw To. He also brings in a few exceptional singers, like Karen O, Martha Wainwright, and Meaghan Smith, who add their own touches to music that was still imaginary, back when the graphic novel was created.
“There are always images swirling in my mind when I’m creating sounds,” Koala explains, “but this time, my screenwriter Mylène Chollet put together a playlist of jazz standards and American classics that really matched the spirit of the story – like “Fly Me to the Moon,” or “Moon River.” That kind of nostalgia lined up perfectly with the emotions running through the film,” he says. “Honestly, it was like a dream come true to bring together all these incredible voices I’m a massive fan of, and to have the chance to create a few original songs for them – notably with Karen O, and Ladybug from Digable Planets.”
Could we then surmise that his upcoming projects will be even more ambitious and collaborative? Not necessarily, he says: “If you forced me to choose, I’d go with collaboration over solo work. But I think I need both, and I guess that’s why Montréal suits me so well. Like the city, I live with the seasons: I hole up in winter for solo work, like drawing or tinkering on the turntables. And in summer, I just want to connect with people, in a spirit of joy and celebration.”
One thing’s for sure: no matter which approach he chooses, the turntable wizard will keep surprising us, thanks to his child-like curiosity and imagination, which refuses to yield to adult cynicism.
Premiering in February of 2025, as part of the Generation Kplus section at the Berlin International Film Festival, Space Cadet has since made the rounds at several major festivals, including the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In Québec, it was first shown to the public at the most recent edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC). Space Cadet opens in theatres on Feb. 20, 2026.
Select the image to access Kid Koala’s “Space Cadet Podcast – Episode 1: The Music”