Ramen Western

Directed by Meloddy Gao

Cast: Vanessa Wang, Xiaoyang Wang, Nick Hahn

Animation, VC Presents
USA
Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Coming of Age, Family, Fantasy, History, Social Issues, Women
English, Mandarin
Subtitled
2026
8 mins
World premiere

Mabel is a young Chinese American girl living in Chicago’s Chinatown. Unsure of what to write in her “What the American West Means to Me” paper, she sets off on a train with a bowl of sentient ramen to find answers. She traverses through the Rocky Mountains, abandoned ghost towns, until finally arriving in California, only to discover that her ancestors never left. On a journey beyond their wildest dreams, Mabel and her ramen sidekick reimagine what the American West means to them.

Credits
Writer: Meloddy Gao
Producer: Hayden Chau, Meloddy Gao
Editor: Meloddy Gao
Composer: Angela Hsieh
Sound Designer: Rita Carmona
Music: Angela Hsieh, Carina Ho, Matthew Torres, Morgan Whitney