My Chemical Romance is marking 20 years of The Black Parade in a big way. The band just released‘Prelude to the End,’a seven-minute animated short directed by visual artist Lauren Tsai and set to‘The End,’the opening track of the album. It follows Astrid, a student at the repressive Paper Academy, whose confiscated sketchbook sends her tumbling into a trash world.
The voice cast is the headline here. Billie Eilish plays Astrid’s friend, Phoebe Bridgers plays her sister, Hideo Kojima voices a strict Japanese teacher, and John C. McGinley voices the school dean. Tsai, who also voices Astrid, called the project“an absolute dream”and a continuation of her 2025 film‘The Dying World Part One: Forgetting.’
The short screens before MCR’s final Hollywood Bowl residency dates on Oct. 30 and 31, closing out the anniversary celebration in front of a hometown crowd. Whether you’re a longtime Black Parade devotee or you found the band through one of these collabs, there’s something here for you. Which voice cameo are you most excited about?
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Local Lawton
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