From Omeleto.
A young girl discovers a magical cloud.
Raising Thunder is used with permission from Sandbox Productions. Learn more at https://instagram.com/raisingthunder.
Kayla is beginning to lose her spark since her mother’s passing. Her father William, spiraling from grief, barely speaks to her and keeps Kayla locked out of her parents’ bedroom, not wanting it to be disturbed. Worst of all, Kayla may be sent to live with her aunt Janice and her booger-eating cousin Craston.
But when longing and loneliness get the best of Kayla and she sneaks into her parents’ bedroom, she discovers something unexpected: a small, cheeky cloud in a jar. She names the cloud Thunder and befriends it, and together they set out to bring life back into the house and rekindle her father’s spirit. But despite Thunder’s cuteness and small size, the cloud is a force of nature, one with a power that can heal the family or tear them apart forever.
Directed by Kaleb McKenna, written by Jesse Laurie, and produced by Jasmine Leivers, this charming, emotionally grounded family dramedy explores the isolating nature of grief and the unifying power of shared memories. Featuring a photorealistic CGI cloud in Thunder, the film offers a unique cinematic experience that sparks a sense of wonder in both children and grown-ups alike while detailing the sometimes bewildering aftereffects of grief on families.
Shot with visual warmth and intimacy that fits the family-oriented nature of the film’s themes, the storytelling is told from Kayla’s point of view, immersing us in her isolation and emotional distance from her father. As the father-daughter duo, actors Joel Jackson and Chloe Brink beautifully capture a connection momentarily frozen by grief as they process their loss in different ways. Actors Catherine Moore and Aidan Griffiths offer a different, more comic energy as members of the extended family, expanding Kayla’s insular world into a rich and dynamic one.
Within this world, Thunder provides support, play and companionship to Kayla, and the cloud’s antics are charming to watch, evoking the essential magic of childhood imagination. The animation of Thunder took three years to bring to life. Character designer Andrew Meyer created scale puppets of Thunder at different stages of the film for actors to interact with, while production designer Charlotte Bayly ensured all of Thunder’s actions had corresponding practical effects. This hands-on approach makes Thunder feel tangible and alive, giving the film’s weighty subject matter some lightness while allowing audiences to fully believe in the magic of a small, childlike cloud with a mischievous personality. That mischief eventually proves hard to manage, though, as father and daughter confront the grief they’ve been holding within.
Warm, sincere and a delight to watch, RAISING THUNDER is a heartfelt portrait of a family coming out of grief and isolation, as well as a tribute to the healing power of imagination. Its human drama is told with clarity and heart, but what makes the narrative distinctive is how its whimsical animated element has an arc and transformation of its own, one that reflects the tumult of emotion its characters are avoiding as well as its own expansive, powerful nature. It culminates in a powerful ending — one that will have viewers holding their loved ones a little tighter, rejoicing in the memory of those who may no longer be with them, and looking up in the sky with a newfound sense of curiosity.
