This highly ambitious narrative animation project was designed to announce the launch of the newest division of the Gala empire, Gala Film. The animation tells the story of Future Boy and vibrantly illustrates him and his friends as they set forth on a wild adventure to far-away lands. In addition, it showcases characters from unreleased Gala video games currently in development. Xite partnered with Gala’s internal creative department to produce this exciting and richly detailed work.

Like any good character animation, Xite and its creative partners decided to map everything out in advance using an animatic. The animatic, essentially a live action storyboard helped the team pin down the story arc, shot list, and character breakdown. In addition, it was also vital in designing the look, feel, sound, music cues, and timing of the final animation. Altogether, the animatic served as a powerful pre-cursor in planning and delivering the completed animated short.

First, the lead protagonist Future Boy kicks off his adventure in an arcade featuring vox style arcade games. Next, Future Boy soon after gets sucked into the arcade game. As he travels down the light portal, Future Boy brings a character from each new land he enters along with him for the ride. Each land symbolizes a unique game from the Gala Games empire. Moreover, games and characters featured include Superior, The Walking Dead: Empires, Gunslinger from Grit, and Robot Chicken from Spider Tanks. The story arc combines the different intellectual properties of the Gala empire. Adding to the mix, Snoop Dogg also makes a memorable cameo at the end. 

Partners & Tools Used

In addition, the animated short features catchy beats from popular Dutch DJ duo Bassjackers. The original storyboard/animatic was created in collaboration with John Ramirez. Xite partnered with ASB Studios for animation and FX. The short film was animated using 3ds Max with the finish done in Adobe After Effects. Charlie Simpson, Lead Designer for Gala Games, led the overall creative collaboration and direction in partnership with Xite.

Xite & VOLO Events Agency

Galaverse was produced in partnership with VOLO Events Agency, a lead producer and production company of live events and experiential marketing for global brands. VOLO is led by Primetime Emmy Award Winning Producer Charles Marto, who served as Executive Producer and Producer for Galaverse. For 35 years, Marto has produced notable events, network television shows, and immersive experiences for brands.