Experiencing Interruptions?

Ramen Western

Mabel is a young Chinese American girl living in Chicago’s Chinatown. Unsure of what to write in her “What the American West Means to Me” paper, she sets off on a train with a bowl of sentient ramen to find answers. She traverses through the Rocky Mountains, abandoned ghost towns, until finally arriving in California, only to discover that her ancestors never left. On a journey beyond their wildest dreams, Mabel and her ramen sidekick reimagine what the American West means to them.

  • Meloddy Gao
    Director
  • Meloddy Gao
    Writer
  • Hayden Chau
    Producer
  • Meloddy Gao
    Producer
  • Vanessa Wang
    Key Cast
    "Mabel "
  • Xiaoyang Wang
    Key Cast
    "Lao Lao "
  • Nick Hahn
    Key Cast
    "Asian Cowboy "
  • Amy Boisvert
    Storyboard Artist
  • Ares Cheng
    Character and Prop Design
  • Irene Liu
    Character and Prop Design
  • Chiu Yi
    Character and Prop Design
  • Kristen Wang
    Color Designer
  • Megan Chen
    Additional Prop Design
  • Megan Alexandra
    Background Artists
  • Rania Abdallah
    Background Artists
  • Taylor De Nobrega
    Background Artists
  • Steven Huang
    Background Artists
  • Ellen Lee
    Background Artists
  • Vivian Ngai
    Background Artists
  • Zaza Tran
    Background Artists
  • Schantelle Alonzo
    2D Rough Animators
  • Amy Boisvert
    2D Rough Animators
  • Ares Cheng
    2D Rough Animators
  • Holly Cheung
    2D Rough Animators
  • Risa Cohen
    2D Rough Animators
  • Ulysse Hervier
    2D Rough Animators
  • Kim Nguyen
    2D Rough Animators
  • Erik Ruiz Cerecedo
    2D Rough Animators
  • Kyousuke Shimazaki
    2D Rough Animators
  • Claire Seckler Sun
    2D Rough Animators
  • Cat Song
    2D Rough Animators
  • Saki Tanaka
    2D Rough Animators
  • Micah Blankenship
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Hayden Caico
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Risa Cohen
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Naomie Contreras
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Zoe Doyle
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Abigail Flores Garduño
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Miranda Isabelle Flores Monroy
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Ellie Horst
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Casey Nhi Le
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Daniela Loeza
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Katelyn Miller
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Kristine Parungao
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Taryn J Porter
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Rohan Maryam Syed
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Kaitlyn Tacchino
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Saki Tanaka
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Maria Jose Vidal
    Color/Clean-Up Artists
  • Karry Lee
    Compositors
  • Amanda Oesef
    Compositors
  • Meloddy Gao
    Editor
  • Angela Hsieh
    Composer
  • Morgan Whitney
    Score Mix and Mastering Engineer
  • Rita Carmona
    Sound Mix and Design
  • Carina Ho
    Vocal Performance and Vocal Recording
  • Matthew Torres
    Vocal Performance and Vocal Recording
  • Morgan Whitney
    Vocal Performance and Vocal Recording
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Western, Fantasy, Family, Children, Narrative, Adventure, Animation
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Mandarin Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    May 1, 2026
    World Premiere
  • CAAMFest
    San Francisco, CA
    United States
    May 10, 2026
    San Francisco Premiere
Director Biography - Meloddy Gao

Meloddy Gao is a Chinese American filmmaker, multimedia artist, and community organizer. Originally from Indiana, her work is shaped by her experiences growing up as the child of immigrants in the midwest suburbs. Her fascination for discovering humanity and humor in absurdity, along with her colorful visual style, form the foundation of her storytelling. She serves as the Communications Coordinator for the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc) and graduated with her MFA in Social Documentation from UC Santa Cruz. She is a 2025-2026 Visual Communications’ Armed with a Camera Fellow. Meloddy's debut film, SWIMMING LESSONS, a documentary about her family’s lost goodbyes, is currently in the festival circuit.

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