Cold Lunch | Animated Short Film 2022

Cold Lunch - An animated short film about a self-conscious Korean American girl whose peaceful lunch period with her friends is interrupted by the Korean glass noodles she unwittingly brought from home. Afraid of judgement from her peers, she hides her unusual food, but when her lunch transforms into a sentient noodle dragon, containing it becomes an impossible task.
Created and Directed by Jin Pei Lua and Insun Park
Produced at Ringling College of Art and Design, 2021-2022.
Instagram Page: / coldlunchfilm
Jin Pei Lua
- Website: www.jinluaanim...
- Instagram: @milkteayearning
Insun Park
- Website: www.insunpark....
- Instagram: @beanstime
Featuring the lovely voice talents of:
Maddie Matsumoto: www.maddiemats...
Alexis Campbell: www.alexiscamp...
Shiloh Callins: / @shilohcallins5147
And a wonderful musical score by:
Ryan Lafford: / @ryanlafford
🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜
© Insun Park and Jin Pei Lua, 2022

[@GOTHIBORZOI]

I wouldn't have eaten it because I'd be afraid of hurting the little dragon, and when I went home to tell my parents why I didn't eat they would think I was crazy

[@buildertherobloxian4731]

More can be Made.

[@PERRYTHEPLATYPUS703]

Same tbh 😂

[@christianjurgen9195]

Same no way I’m hurting a dragon Edit:wow I forgot about this comment.

[@haileysanimations1155]

I would keep it as a pet I wouldn’t eat it too.

[@buildertherobloxian4731]

Again, More of these Noodles can be Made.

[@mightyknight006]

I love the food is a metaphor of her culture and how she doesnt want to reveal what it is because they think they wont like it and there for her culture. I also like how its in a childs perspective, sence a flying noodle dragon would be something I feel like a child would think of.

[@drippycity4135]

It doesn’t have to be a metaphor - it’s a relatively common experience for immigrant kids to face weird looks and mean comments because of what they eat at lunch 😔

[@mrsnayarlhats4242]

I like Asian food I think with the veggies and noodles and some meats I think it's a good balance meal with veggies giving health benefits along with meats and noodles

[@Mokiefraggle]

@@drippycity4135 This. I got so much hassle for bringing simple things like rice balls in my lunch as a little kid when all I wanted was to get to use the fun molds for them that my parents let me pick out when we visited Japan...I can only imagine what bringing anything more than that.

[@thegreats5172]

@@drippycity4135is it also a common experience for your food to turn into the main creature of the culture your in or???😂

[@drippycity4135]

@@thegreats5172 no, I’m saying the food itself is not representing her fear of sharing her culture - the dragon is an entirely separate metaphor

[@rowan404]

When I was in elementary school, I had a crush on a Korean girl, and that caused me to develop a positive association with the scent of Korean food.

[@SemiQuiet26]

Whoa, that’s cool

[@SaintSaint]

DId she ever know?

[@rowan404]

@@SaintSaint No, but we were close friends until she moved away at the end of 4th grade.

[@Such_Savagery]

@@rowan404I feel sad reading that, I dont know why

[@skellington8090]

I don’t care how delicious it is…. If my food turns into a magical dragon, we’re gonna be best friends!

[@Creaturella_CoS]

REAL!

[@erenjeager4308]

Real

[@athosworld]

Same

[@michaelmcnamara8839]

Real!!!❤❤❤❤😂😂😂

[@angelesmoonlight3312]

ME TOO!!🥹❤️

[@Divin3Smit3]

I'm over here crying over a noodle dragon.

[@anonygent]

An animated noodle dragon.

[@AntAn-qc5lm]

⁠@@anonygentegg whites with sugar 0:57

[@DiamondDrizzle]

A literal noodle dragon

[@PERRYTHEPLATYPUS703]

Same 😂

[@SaintSaint]

I was fine until the knowing sacrifice that teared me up.

[@Septic-Hearts]

I remember in middle school being so jealous of the kids who had homemade lunches because they always looked so good while the sandwiches I had to bring from home were boring and every other kid who brought sandwiches smelled like white bleached bread. Really wish I could've had more friends that'd share their lunch with me.

[@fungustheclown666]

Me too lmao. Like hell yes I'd love the actual flavorful good food over a peanut butter and jelly any day.

[@KiraCuraMusic]

This was so sweet to watch. The little noodle dragon was so cute and him encouraging the girl to be brave and share with her friends was wonderful.

[@pwessie4pwesident941]

NOOOOOO! DON'T EAT THAT CUTE LITTLE NOODLE DRAGON!!!😭

[@kaycosta-viegas2420]

My heart melted when I saw the the dragons face when she said "they're not gonna like meee!" Aww so well done❤

[@wizardfoxangel5300]

That actually happened to my Sister, when I wasn't Born yet. The Teacher thought her Mom was feeding her Rotton Food but it wasn't.

[@SaintSaint]

Wow. I'm so sorry. That's... insane.

[@SpammingY]

The girl: Tries to hide the food The food: "HMM MAYBE I SHOULD TURN IN TO A DRAGON"

[@MrBrineplays_]

If I saw it moving and looking like a dragon, I ain't eating that food, I'd make it my pet

[@NessLover94]

I think Nari did the right thing. Violet and June are her friends after all.

[@paranormeow]

this is so sweet!! appreciating other cultures foods and being proud of your own is such an important thing to learn. this has a great message!! also, japchae is so good…

[@H4ZYKA]

Japchae dragon 😭 I love this sm

[@rowan404]

This is *severely* underrated!

[@user-nw9mz3vu3s]

This is so adorable, so cute..I wouldn't have wanted to eat the little dragon 🐲 What a creative "clip" great idea, great job 👏 :) ❤ absolutely love it, well done..this put a smile on my face..Thank you..

[@ruby_yuzuki9025]

THIS HIT ME SO HARD. I used to be embarrassed of my lunch as a kid especially since everyone has like sandwiches, fruits and all. Some of my classmates complained on how 'smelly' my lunch is and it made me so upset that I don't even eat lunch at all. This film really brought me happiness, My younger self would've love this.

[@feistsorcerer2251]

The animation for this is adorable. Its sad to me and way too real that she feels the need to be afraid of how people will react to her food. I'm really happy her peers were supportive in this, and hope its getting to be that way for people irl. I hope bullying over cultural foods is less of a thing now than when I was in school. One of the most common forms of bullying was people making fun of any food that wasn't associated with middle or upper class white culture. If it was ethnic food of any kind the bullying would always veer into racism and the teachers of course only cared if the bullies got their little feelings hurt, not about the damage they were doing to their victims.

[@gwenmloveskpopandmore]

Exactly bruh it’s stopped everywhere now except small rural country areas

[@Inkaloo]

I DONT WANNA EAT THE DRAGON? THEY'RE ADORABLE, ILL HUG IT. PLEASE

[@CerealBee]

That dragon is so cute I can't possibly bring myself to eat it

[@jaycee_es6295]

MY HEART THIS IS ADORABLE 😭😭😭😭😭

[@scarletweb2106]

Awww so adorable!! ❤❤

[@Eeks.BombayCat]

THEY ATE HIM

[@magnus1001]

You know you watch too much KZbin when you feel bad that she hurt noodle dragon's feelings!🤔🤨

[@suliadh]

This is super adorable and sweet! Amazing work 💙

[@yangsarah8374]

Cute little Japchae dragon! As a Korean, this is a dish you should definitely try. Don't be scared to exlress your own culture!

[@user-nw9mz3vu3s]

Hey, can they make the dragon 🐲 in to a "stuffy" or a plush 🍜 noodle animal..he would be so cute. I'd "scoop" him up in a heart beat. Because he's unique..& I'd give him a little "tag" on him..that teaches/tells about "encoument"-that's how I'd make-and 🐲 Dragons are supposed to be lucky, they bring luck..🍀 😉 👍👍

[@attackehhh]

why do you "use" speech marks so aggressively and unnecessarily

[@user-nw9mz3vu3s]

@@attackehhh just to explain things a little better..-just a habit, I guess. I'm old school..& I try to get my spelling right..

[@thefluffygenius4857]

This is sooo cute! A short story of not trying to hide the culture of the food your family makes/eats just coz it looks or smells weird to others, haha! Great concept and I really love the noddles looking like an adorable dragon

[@ericktrevino]

The model of the dragon was so impressive. I love the details of the eyes!

[@Djvuue]

JAPCHAE!!! 🎉 I was thinking that’s such a great meal!!!! NEVER BE ASHAMED OF YOUR ROOTS AND FOOD!!!

[@paulinetee-uz7ow]

Lovely story, creative idea in turn Chapchea into a dragon. We will never know if we do not try :-) well done Jin Pei and Insun

[@egomadeit]

I remember in elementary school I brought dumplings to lunch one day and some girl judged me for it saying it smelled bad, and ever since then I got so cautious and inseure about my food throughout elementary. Wish I had friends like that girl when I was a kid.

[@mollyhendricks1437]

The little girl looks like Marcy Wu from amphibia when she was younger Also the chopsticks Pink,Green and Blue 😏

[@IReallyLikeCatsBtw]

Sonic underground?

[@toadrice]

TOADETTE, GREEN TOAD AND BLUE TOAD

[@Faunadude]

Powrpufgorl

[@_knucklehead]

TRIPLETS BORN

[@ryunohaku7747]

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! ❤❤❤❤❤ I CAN'T WITH THIS PLEASE!!! I LOVE IT!!! OH GOD, THAT NODDY DRAGON!NN ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@SleepyLuigi]

Wholesome-

[@tangerinecowboy]

bro noodle dragon 🔥🔥

[@WeirdDragonRAWR]

NOO DONT EAT THE LITTLE DRAGON HES SO CUTE

[@sconie4335]

YAAAAY Jin and Insun!! Japchae dragon is such a good friend ;-;

[@Dragoniaclaw]

This is an adorable movie! I love the noodle dragon design, and the sstoryis great too. awesome job!

[@Monchibunny]

Omg bro, i felt the same way eating Squid Jerky on my bus. It was good, but in reality, my friend and i ate it while the whole bus complained that it smelled like ass..😭🦑

[@user-zw6fm5in7q]

I'm a fan of korean and asiatic culture and this has a great message for asian people! I hope the artists who work on this can make more cool content in the future❤

[@sherrythanhthuy4680]

*Casually opens the box* Dragon:"Whatsup" The child was too stunned to speak

[@rcpaul]

I really like that cute noodles dragon. Sorry, I can't eat that it's so cute.

[@Sebbiiboi]

This deserves many more views and that’s a fact

[@BoughtByTheBlood]

Okay. This is just plain CUTE! 😍

[@hannahcooper8135]

I would love a plushie of that noodle dragon!

[@unknownblob9178]

I love noodle dragon so much!!

[@lufixu]

bro the sticky note and the 3 pairs of chopsticks made me start sobbing IMMEDIATELY

[@magalyvillanueva3103]

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😭😭😭😭😭

[@violetviruss]

this was one of my favorites!!! amazing job

[@killeroionline]

after that, part of the magical dragon expanded by feeding on the body of little girls and burst out through the chest, becoming three magical noodle dragons (that’s why he wanted to be eaten and precisely so that not only the girl)

[@tiamystic]

The good ending

[@Rechsiren]

heartless kids, eating a noodle dragon

[@annalizshy2865]

ThEy AtE tHe DrAgOn

[@Aldersnap]

Aww what a cute little guardian angel

[@MortalChamp]

Boy stfu, I’m hungry! Give me your damn Harry Potter magical noodle dragon!

[@killeroionline]

@@MortalChamp cynical troll. cry about it

[@hannahl4108]

AWWWWWWW! 🥺 SOCUTE

[@melanieskala7348]

Soooo adorable!

[@pygmachophobia8752]

The noodle dragon is so cute and now i am gonna cry

[@zarajumps]

WOO!!! So sweet and heartwarming!! 🐉♥️

[@nugumu3410]

This is so cute

[@mayangelifa3801]

HOW DID YOU DO THATT😭😭😭 I actually teared up when the dragon reveals the message from mom. This is sorcery

[@Taloc_dorn]

AWWWWWW CUTE

[@stlua-hq1zh]

Nice and lovely creative mini dragon.

[@spoofschannelofmemesandani4126]

THEY ATE HIM! NO! 😭😭😭

[@kamilledeas6890]

Guys this is the cutest animation I've ever watched I'm gonna bawl my eyes out 😭

[@leopard7890]

I love this, it's lovely and creative

[@janicemahan4772]

Very nice!

[@ravaiiiii]

THIS IS SO CUTE and the animation is so great❤

[@ariannasv22]

I personally find it funny because I get the overall theme, but japchae is one of the least offensive smelling foods that I know of. I guess it was chosen to make it more believable, though.

[@rcpaul]

Maths exam is awesome 😅 and 🤣🤣🤣 dance by Sanjay Dutt Nayak nahi khalnayak hoon main. I am still laughing. Superb video.

[@sandra-jones]

Sooo cute!

[@ericka2michelle706]

The way this made me cry

[@adamverstegen2761]

Honestly expected it to be a film where food came to life and ate students, but its far from that. Really good!

[@Mymelodylover216]

Omg my fav food was chapchae I used to be. So embraced about my food and my culture lol

[@sondash]

There's people who hate asian food!? Here in mexico almost everyone loves asian food its really delicious

[@qualia8047]

(This is so wholesome.) *Heavy breathing.* Noodle Dragon Plush. 🎭

[@christ9654]

❤ it ! Beautiful and creative !!

[@zingkoinko1231]

So cute

[@Lordodragonss]

THEY ATE A LIVING BEING

[@catysnow]

Ok this idea is very impressive

[@sockpant]

so beautiful!!

[@JackAttack-dd5lt]

He’s so cute!!!!!!!

[@ShotGun1861]

fantastic job!

[@mikeyfox2299]

Aaaand dead. Hooray? 😭 If I was a kid I would have 100% cried. You gotta have a good disconnect between the metaphor and the fantasy creature. In Pixar's Bao: she eats the dumpling, but it's just a metaphor for her actual son. In this, the dragon is the noodles, or takes the form of the noodles or whatever, and other than seeing it go back to being noodles, there's no wink to the audience. Even if it's just imaginary for the girl, the young audience just sees noodles=dragon=eaten. Good message, cute animation, but that seriously gets brings it down from an A to a B- for me, especially since we have post credit art where you could have done a wink to the audience with the character, but you just show them eating the lifeless noodles instead. Something to improve on for sure 👍♥️

[@imaadhannan4387]

Bro that looks AND sounds like my 2nd cousin! PLUS the same personality!

[@joshua_simple_animations]

NOOOOOOOOOO THE NOODLE DRAGON!🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲

[@dracanthrope110]

Adore the story of this 💙

[@Thecool596]

Normal people: awww that dragon is cute I won’t eat that People who love noodles: OH GIVE ME THAT NOODLES I DONT CARE HE ALIVE!

[@YiScarf]

THEY JUST MURDERED THE DRAGOM

[@flora_7719]

Man I ain't never met a little kid who doesn't like noodles

[@madelinemorales]

I’m cryin

[@Galaxy12Gaming]

Pretty cool story and great animation

[@Muhammad-adzim]

dragon noodle!

[@Random_Member5]

omg so true

[@-yumefroots-8244]

When I was in elementary school, the idea of judging someone for having food from another country was so weird to me. Chances are, I wouldn't have even known the difference between Korean, Mexican, Western, or Indian food. To me, food was just food.

[@jerrydaminion1137]

"Don't play with your food" Me:

[@lloxxeyy_]

this is so wholesome

[@yxnxm3355]

Growing up one thing I hate is whenever I’m in Singapore school they always look at my food like I’m some kind of weirdo and one more thing ,I most of the time eat Chinese food and when they ask me weirdly what the food I’m eating I always wanna say like,UR CHINESE HOW CAN U NOT KNOW WHAT THE FOOD IS Zane I feel like they should go to America instead of singapore

[@user-zw6fm5in7q]

I'm a fan of korean and asiatic culture and has a great message for asian people! I hope the artists who work on this can make more cool content ❤

[@christiesessions8390]

Pov those lunchables adds

[@AnnaCatherineB]

I really like japache its so yummyyy and it smells good i used to eat it for lunch a lot