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My Chemical Romance have released Prelude to The End, a short film made with visual artist Lauren Tsai for the 20th anniversary celebrations of The Black Parade. The project combines Tsai’s animated world with the album’s opening track and voice contributions from Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, Hideo Kojima and John C. McGinley. It is also scheduled to screen at the band’s October 30 and 31 Hollywood Bowl performances.
My Chemical Romance and visual artist Lauren Tsai have released Prelude to The End, a short film featuring voice contributions from Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, Hideo Kojima and John C. McGinley. The project brings Tsai’s animated world together with “The End,” the opening track of the band’s album The Black Parade, as part of the record’s 20th anniversary celebrations.
The film was produced by UNREAL INC., Tsai’s independent studio, and draws on the imagery of her short film The Dying World. According to the report by Consequence, the story follows Astrid, a student at a peculiar New England boarding school, who enters a world of forgotten ideas after school authorities discard her sketchbook.
Tsai voices Astrid, with Eilish playing Astrid’s friend and Bridgers voicing her sister. Kojima contributes the voice of a teacher, while McGinley plays the school’s dean. The short film pairs this story and its visuals with the opening song from The Black Parade.
The film is also set to screen at the final two U.S. dates of My Chemical Romance’s ongoing Black Parade Tour, at the Hollywood Bowl on October 30 and 31. The band is scheduled to continue the concert series in Asia, beginning with a November 7 show in South Korea, according to Consequence.
A New Film Extends The Black Parade
The release links a milestone in the band’s catalogue to a separate creative world developed by Tsai, rather than presenting only a reissue or anniversary performance. By joining “The End” with imagery from The Dying World, the project gives the album’s opening track a new visual setting and introduces Tsai’s story to the band’s audience.
The voice cast also connects music, film, games and animation: Eilish and Bridgers are joined by game creator Hideo Kojima and actor John C. McGinley. The planned Hollywood Bowl screenings bring the film into the tour’s live setting. The available report does not say whether it will be shown at other dates or released through a particular streaming service.
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Tsai’s Path From Fan Films
Consequence reports that Tsai grew up making animated fan videos for My Chemical Romance songs. She later premiered The Dying World as a short film at the 2025 Annecy Film Festival and developed it into a multimedia project. Her other work includes directing the music video for boygenius’ “Cool About It.”
Those connections help explain the collaboration: Tsai’s animation work began with the band’s music, while the new project uses the visual world she has since developed. The release is tied to the 20th anniversary celebrations of The Black Parade, which Consequence identifies as a landmark album for the band. The report does not specify the full scope of the anniversary plans.
““It was an absolute dream to work on this project for The Black Parade and The Dying World.””
— Lauren Tsai, in a statement quoted by Consequence
Screenings and Wider Release Plans
The report confirms screenings at the Hollywood Bowl on October 30 and 31, but does not clarify whether the short film will be shown at other tour dates, made available online or distributed separately after the screenings. It also does not give the film’s runtime or explain whether the released version differs from earlier material in The Dying World.
The source describes the work as a short film and an audio-video project, but provides no further production credits or details about how the anniversary celebrations will continue. Any plans beyond the two named screenings remain unconfirmed in the supplied report.
Hollywood Bowl Screenings Ahead
The next stated event for the film is its scheduled screening during My Chemical Romance’s October 30 and 31 Hollywood Bowl performances. The band’s tour is then set to move to Asia, with its next listed stop in South Korea on November 7. The source does not say whether Prelude to The End will accompany those shows.
Further details about screenings, online availability and additional anniversary projects have not been announced in the source material. For now, the confirmed next step is the film’s presentation at the two final U.S. tour dates named in the report.
Key Questions
What is Prelude to The End?
It is a short film made by My Chemical Romance and visual artist Lauren Tsai, combining imagery from Tsai’s The Dying World with “The End,” the opening track of The Black Parade.
Who provides voices in the film?
Tsai voices the lead character, Astrid. Billie Eilish voices Astrid’s friend, Phoebe Bridgers plays her sister, Hideo Kojima voices a teacher and John C. McGinley plays the school’s dean.
What is the story about?
According to Consequence, the film follows Astrid, a student at a New England boarding school, who finds herself in a world of forgotten ideas after authorities discard her sketchbook.
When will it screen live?
The film is scheduled to screen at My Chemical Romance’s October 30 and 31 Hollywood Bowl shows, the final two performances of the U.S. leg identified in the report.
Will the film be available online?
The supplied report does not confirm an online release, streaming service or wider screening schedule. Its availability beyond the Hollywood Bowl dates is not yet clear.
Source: consequence.net
