Private Project

My New Rad Friend

A young and shy boy finds himself playing games day after day at a lonely arcade dreaming of real friendship. One day his favorite character Rad the Rabbit pops out of a game logo and shows how to give a kick to shyness.

  • Timppa Luoto
    Director
  • Timppa Luoto
    Writer
  • Saara "Sasu" Sariola
    Writer
  • Maria Jakobsson
    Producer
  • Elise Byman
    Producer
  • Timppa Luoto
    Character Design & Main Animator
  • Saara "Sasu" Sariola
    Character Design & Main Animator
  • Sini Karppinen
    Character Design & Main Animator
  • Suvi Pietiläinen
    Environment Artist
  • Sanna Sipponen
    Environment Artist
  • Katariina Lempiäinen
    Environment Artist
  • Kalervo Kontio
    Music
  • Olli Kietäväinen
    Music
  • Jenni Mäkelä
    Sound Design
  • Joni Nieminen
    Sound Design
  • Olli Kietäväinen
    Sound Design
  • Ismo Markkula
    Audio Mixing
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    My New Rad Friend
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    animation, short film
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 31, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Finland
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Director - Timppa Luoto
Director Statement

In My New Rad Friend Milo’s favorite game character Rad helps him find his courage and overcome his fears and shyness. Video games and their characters have helped me as well personally through many tough times in the past. I was quite lonely as a kid, so I often spent my time alone gaming or drawing my favorite characters. Games brought so much joy to my life back then and still do. In My New Rad Friend I wanted to show that positive impact video games can have and really focus on how they can help a lot during your childhood and teenage years.

The Arcade was the perfect fit for this story’s setting not only because it’s full of games, but it also reminds you of all the theme parks and arcades you used to go to as a kid and that way ties the movie closely to the childhood nostalgia I was going after. The big and empty Arcade also worked well as a visual representation of Milo’s feelings of loneliness. On top of all that, the Arcade provided compelling and colorful visuals to the story, which was something I really wanted to include in this film.