Hybrid animated short stars Tony Award winner and Disney Legend Lea Salonga, with animation directed by Emmy winner John Aoshima
LOS ANGELES, CA – July 2, 2026 — New York Times bestselling author, filmmaker, and producer Abigail Hing Wen, best known for the LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI series, will premiere her hybrid live-action/animated short film THE VALE – ORIGINS at San Diego Comic-Con, marking her directorial debut and the next major expansion of her New York Times bestselling middle grade novel THE VALE.
Starring Tony Award winner and Disney Legend Lea Salonga, THE VALE – ORIGINS introduces audiences to the world of THE VALE, an AI-generated fantasy universe created by 13-year-old inventor Bran Lee. Salonga also performs a special closing-credits arrangement of “Lavender’s Blue,” arranged by composer Andromeda Wen.
The short features animation directed by Emmy Award winner John Aoshima (GRAVITY FALLS, ULTRAMAN: RISING) and also stars Robert Palmer Watkins (THE WALKING DEAD), with Egan Xander (son of actors Janet Hsieh and George Young) making his screen debut.
A prequel to Wen’s novel, THE VALE – ORIGINS blends live action and animation to reveal the emotional foundation of Bran’s world and the family story behind its creation.
The project extends Wen’s vision for THE VALE as a cross-platform storytelling universe exploring artificial intelligence, imagination, identity, family, and the ethical questions shaping the future of technology. The world of THE VALE also expands into Roblox, underscoring the property’s broader transmedia potential.
“I wrote THE VALE novel in 2015,” says Wen, “but back then, it was too early to publish a book about an AI-generated virtual world. I’m so thrilled that this story is now out in the world and expanding in so many ways, and to be on this journey with incredibly talented, wonderful people.”
Following the screening, Wen will be joined by members of the creative team for a panel discussion on the making of THE VALE – ORIGINS and the development of THE VALE as a transmedia franchise. Panelists include animation director John Aoshima; composer Andromeda Wen, a breakthrough young artist who premiered her first piece at Carnegie Hall this June; and actor-producer Efrem Bonetti, who will unveil Wen’s highly anticipated next project. Additional special guests will be announced. The panel will be moderated by actor Dante Basco (AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, Steven Spielberg’s HOOK).
Published by Third State Books in September 2025, THE VALE became an instant New York Times bestseller. The novel follows Bran Lee, a brilliant neurodiverse young inventor who enters his AI-powered virtual fantasy world into a major invention competition in hopes of saving his family, only to uncover dangerous glitches and a betrayal that threaten both the Vale and the real world beyond it.
Prior to its San Diego Comic-Con premiere, THE VALE – ORIGINS screened privately at select venues across the country, including Rideback Ranch, where Wen is a member of the Rideback Rise Circle, as well as at the Signet Society at Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Sandbox VR. The film is expected to screen at additional festivals and special events in the coming months.
San Diego Comic-Con will announce the official screening date, time, and room location two weeks prior to the event.
About Abigail Hing Wen
Abigail Hing Wen is an author, film producer and director, as well as former tech executive. She is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple novels for young people, including LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI, which has been adapted as the movie LOVE IN TAIPEI, now on Netflix. Abigail served as an executive producer and on set during production. Her novel KISSES, CODES AND CONSPIRACIES, a thriller and romantic comedy novel featuring three teens on the run through the Bay Area, is an instant national bestseller, USA Today bestseller and Amazon Editor’s Pick for YA Book of the Month. Abigail directed her first short film starring Lea Salonga, a prequel to her New York Times bestselling middle grade debut THE VALE, featuring an inventor family that builds an AI-generated virtual world. She serves on the board of Harvardwood. She is a member of Dan Lin’s Rideback Rise Circle, and serves as a judge for the Golden Trailer Awards, recognizing the industry’s most outstanding film trailers.
Abigail is a frequent keynote speaker for young people, including Y’Allfest, US Presidential Scholars, and the Los Altos High Writer’s Week, as well as libraries, colleges, high schools and bookstores around the country. She’s also given keynotes and fireside chats for the National Conference of State Legislatures, Meta, Google, Paramount, Paypal and other tech and entertainment companies, and spoken on panels at venues such as SDCC, LACC, LA Times Festival of Books and ALA.
About John Aoshima
John Aoshima, is a Feature Director and an Emmy Winning and Annies nominated Television Director known for Disney’s hit series, GRAVITY FALLS, DUCKTAL
About Dante Basco
Dante Basco is a multitalented filmmaker whose career spans more than four decades. Discovered by Steve Spielberg in the film, HOOK and went on to acquire over a hundred screen credits, including voice work, bringing to life the iconic “Prince Zuko,” in AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. His work as a writer, director, and producer includes THE FABULOUS FILIPINO BROTHERS, which premiered at SXSW and reached wide audiences on major streaming platforms. Dante continues to create stories that celebrate identity, culture, and connection.
About Andromeda Wen
Andromeda Wen is an SF based composer and multireedist. Her music explores the intersection of art and activism, using sound to respond to pressing social and ecological crises—from coral bleaching and oil spills to the erosion of democracy—and has been heard throughout the USA, Italy, and Austria, where she studied for a year. In the United States, her rapidly expanding repertoire includes a premiere in Santa Fe and her Carnegie Hall debut in June 2026, and in Italy, at the Alba Music Festival. She has studied at Tanglewood, Interlochen, the Walden School, and presently, SFCM pre-collegiate program and performed with the Stanford Jazz Workshop Big Band. She scored THE VALE — ORIGINS, a short film starring Lea Salonga. As a saxophonist she has performed at venues including the Lincoln Center in New York and Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Her work has garnered multiple national awards, including first place in the Pacific Musical Society and Foundation Composition Competition, judged by Grammy Award Winner Mason Bates.
About Efrem Bonetti
