Vancouver alternative rock band Rare Americans released their first self-produced film, SKIDS, back in 2025. The YouTube film has recently resurfaced as Hollywood execs continue to corrupt the animation industry with generative AI programs. Did their indie movie route succeed, or did the punk rock plot become a flop?

What is SKIDS About?

SKIDS follows the lives of 3 high schoolers in the City of Champions in the year 1993. Scotty the Punk Poet is the new kid on the block who arrived from Kansas. He’s the son of a well-known sheriff and a loving mother who struggles to accept who he is.

Then, there’s Craig, who can’t stand his mother sleeping with men after the death of his father the previous year. He also represents a generation that adopted the early internet. And finally, we have Billy, caught in an internal battle between religious views and reality.

Together, they are skids finding a place they want to belong in. Life isn’t easy when you are a teenager in the Catholic-run high school, St. Elmo’s. Scotty, Craig, and Billy are doing everything they can to survive until graduation. Whether listening to their favorite rock bands, taking drugs, or through artistic release, they will persevere.

Rare Americans Tackles Generations of Broken Society

Rare Americans is known for their complex storytelling in their animated music videos, and SKIDS fits their band’s philosophy. The movie is structured as a rock opera that covers generations of affected youths. The City of Champions is a reflection of influences from various backgrounds.

Scotty, Craig, and Billy’s stories intertwine to deliver the film’s message about how parts of society can positively or negatively change someone. Skids are considered the rebels since they criticize the adults’ hypocrisy. Viewers see this in St. Elmo’s teachers and Principal Abraham, who uses their religious stance to chastise the students’ actions as sin. Craig is a constant target because he sees what others don’t.

Rare Americans ensured that not every adult is antagonized and designed a teenage troublemaker in the mix. Rubberband Sam, or Sammy, is a young drug dealer who provides what everyone needs as a stress reliever. He represents peer pressure and false empowerment. Throughout the film, he actively tries to recruit Scotty to replace Billy’s old friend, Corey. The Punk Poet proved he can’t be easily swayed, while the Right-Hand Man fears being left alone.

SKIDS also has a character whose role is a metaphorical silver line. Scotty’s love interest, Molly, shows that neither peer pressure nor religion has affected her psyche. Instead, it’s the loss of her mother. For years, she’s motivated herself to survive by studying to graduate from high school. Due to her drunken father, she’s determined to consume drugs to keep her spirits up. They became the best obstacles for the film’s story.

The Album and Animation Have a Great Correlation

The rock opera captures the ’90s music era. Every song is perfectly tied to its characters and their conflict from beginning to end. I do believe if SKIDS were presented on a stage, on or off-Broadway, it would not have as much impact as the animated visuals. Rare Americans worked alongside two animation entities, Solis Animation and Crooked City Studio. I love how their song transitions create the sense that the characters’ view is different from everyone else’s.

For example, Corey’s introduction song, “Is There A Way Out?” conveys his depression caused by his past friendship with Billy. The animators show him smoking while looking across at Billy’s house as he spends time with Scotty and Craig in his garage. As he lies in bed and looks at his hanged model toy plane, the smoke becomes dark clouds where he was once riding it happily, until his current self appears to kill him. We see Billy separated from Corey, and later, Sammy recruits him for his drug empire.

Of the three high schoolers, Craig is best represented in the narrative. His songs are “Anomaly”, “The Walls”, “Ghosts”, “Drugs”, “Bury & Hide”, and “Voices in my Head”. St. Elmo’s and the City of Champions are heavily influenced by Catholicism. We see certain persons and objects, Corey, Scotty’s lighter, and facilities have the Holy Cross or a picture relating to God.

Craig’s family are considered atheists as his late father was a science professor. Struggling to keep up with the bills, his mother turned to prostitution. He grew up with a computer that helped him occupy his time and learned not trust everyone, even the US government. According to Principal Abraham, Craig has repeatedly shown acts of rebellion in class that do not follow the word of God.

Speaking of St. Elmo’s principal, I love how he’s depicted as a blonde, thin, and pale male. His office is also paned with orange-stained glass windows and has a picture of him standing with Pope John Paul II. During Craig’s songs, he’s often revealed as a devil in disguise. Principal Abraham fits well as Craig’s antagonist in his story.

There are moments when the computer whiz speaks, which causes him to see eyes watching him. There is a hint that Principal Abraham is a womanizer in the song “Anomaly”. He shuts the office door after Craig witnesses a woman with a short skirt crying.

Was SKIDS Released at the Wrong Time?

Given the United States’ political climate, I did wonder whether the 2025 animated indie feature was released at the worst time. Donald Trump was re-elected for a second term and enacted multiple policies that promote discrimination, xenophobia, homophobia, disrespect for the US Constitution, and taunting the media through aggression in 2025.

SKIDS was released on Apr. 5, and I was unaware of its existence until I recently stumbled upon a Rare Americans short that encouraged their listeners and viewers to watch the film. In a way, this film follows the footprint of Green Day. Since 2004, they have composed songs that voice their anti-war sentiments and highlight the flaws of George Bush’s administration. And to this day, their single “American Idiot” has become a powerful protest anthem, later serving as the title of their 2009 Broadway show.

Rare Americans are a Canadian music group, but they are aware of the world’s political climate since forming the band in 2018. They have become known for their animated music videos that voice social issues and raise concerns about the US government and other countries. SKIDS is a modern example that proves that the nation has a generational trauma depending on the influences, endlessly fighting for social acceptance, control, and righteousness.

Show Support for the Rare Americans

Overall, if you are someone who enjoys ’90s-inspired music and supports indie animation, SKIDS could be the movie for you. Rare Americans have made the film available for free on their official YouTube channel. Not only do they love producing music, but every music video helps support the non-AI animators involved in their projects. The official movie soundtrack is available to listen to on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.