SDCC ’26: The Vale: Origins (short)

It's a YA fantasy franchise with only one novel. Yet, Abigail Hing Wen’s The Vale has already spawned Roblox online game and now a prequel dramatic short film. Its fantasy world didn’t come from nowhere. Genre fans will recognize similarities between Wen’s virtual setting and many previous films, notably including Mamoru Hosoda’s anime features Belle and Summer Wars. Yet, the particulars of the Vale came from young Bran Lee’s imagination. Wen shows how his grief and creativity fueled his parents’ VR invention in Wen’s prequel short The Vale: Origins¸ which premiered yesterday at San Diego Comic Con.

Young Lee was eager to become a big brother, so the miscarriage hit him hard. Unfortunately, his programmer parents, Addy and Kyle, took it even harder. They were developing a breakthrough VR world, but they lost their creative drive after losing the baby. Frankly, despite his constant truancy, Bran processes his grief more productively, compulsively drawing his own personal fantasy world, where he imagines encounters with Gnomly, who happens to be an elf.

Fans of Wen’s novel will enjoy seeing the genesis of Gnomly and the Vale world. Conversely, for newcomers, it is a rather downbeat, depressing story. Yes, it shows how sorrow can be channeled into something positive. However, the overwhelming majority of the film takes place during the depth of the Lee family’s grief.

To be fair, films ought to be produced with a particular audience in mind. In Wen’s case, it is her readers. The film she wrote and co-directed with animation director John Aoshima (who also co-directed Ultraman: Rising) is undeniably professional grade, featuring a remarkably sensitive lead performance from young Egan Xander. Lea Salonga (the singing voice of the animated Mulan) and Robert Palmer Watkins also fully commit to portraying Bran’s parents’ pain. The animation also looks respectable, but potential viewers should understand far more time is devoted to the live-action sequences.

This is a nice production that is just as good or better than dozens of shorts that will screen at festivals this month. Nevertheless, it will mean more to readers already familiar with the book. Recommended for fans of the “franchise” and the talent involved, The Vale: Origins promises more festival screenings after its SDCC premiere.