Children Face Fears of Adulthood in Animated Epic for Mac Miller's 'Balloonerism'

Award-winning creative studio Hornet has produced a 22-minute animated film to mark the release of Mac Miller’s second posthumous album, Balloonerism. Directed by Samuel Jerome Mason, the film builds on the haunting, introspective style of Hornet’s earlier collaboration with Mac Miller’s estate for the 2021 music video 'Colors and Shapes'. This latest project delves into the album’s central themes of innocence, self-sabotage, and the uncertainties of the future.

The narrative follows five children as they grapple with the complexities of growing up. When approached to develop the film, director Samuel Jerome Mason began by identifying a thematic thread throughout the album, with the line "but do you feel as big as your shadow?" becoming the central thesis for the story.

"As I listened to the track 'Excelsior,' Mac introduced five distinct characters, and I saw them as a prompt for the story,” says director Samuel Jerome Mason. “‘On Fourth Street, the orphan children play on the jungle gym / Little Timmy broke his arm again on the monkey bars / Johnny's dad got a nicer car than all the other kids...’ These lines became the foundation for a narrative about childhood roles, growing up, and the complexities of who we are and become.”

Samuel set out to create a film that reflects not just the growing pains of childhood but also the passage of time. “Understanding the album as a meditation on growing up, I wanted to explore themes of racing against time and losing innocence,” he explains. “The roles that children adopt - roles that, over time, ossify into adults - remain deeply connected to our younger, shadowy selves. In racing ahead, the children play out their darker instincts, letting their shadows run wild. In trying to ‘fly,’ they fall. But that journey, in all its messiness, is life itself. The wisdom of older age lies in the empathy we can extend to our younger, clumsier selves.”

The visuals in the film serve as both a fantastical metaphor for the group’s tumultuous journey into adulthood and an homage to Mac Miller’s own life and legacy. Key elements of the artist’s story, including Pittsburgh’s famed Blue Slide Park, are woven into the animation. A dark, foreboding, fearful tone is undercut by a sense of wonder and play, throughout the film. The interplay between gravity and light echoes the emotional effect of Mac Miller’s music.

“He captured the way we all feel at times - lost, confused, and small - with humour, humility, and honesty,” says Samuel. “This album immortalises Malcolm’s distinct spirit, as all wizards live forever through their magic. I aimed to do his legacy justice. The project is indebted to Malcolm, the work surrounding the album, and all those involved - the artwork, the plans, and the maps drawn. As animators and filmmakers, we feel immense gratitude in joining ranks of collaborators and contributors to this album.” As animators and filmmakers, we feel immense gratitude in joining ranks of collaborators and contributors to this album.”