Toby Cochran on Luki & The Lights and Changing the World Through Storytelling

The reasons why an artist is driven to create are many, and each has its own merit. It may be a need to express yourself, a desire to remembered, a flair for storytelling or just the exhilaration of being seen and recognized. Toby Cochran, animator, writer, director and founder of Big Grin Productions, is interested in all of those things, but he also has grander goals in mind. Luki and The Lights, an animated short film that is already generating Oscar buzz, may not have changed the world yet, but it’s taking a step in the direction of making it better.

“The whole point of creating Big Grin was to work on projects that would make a difference in this world,” Cochran says.  “If we’re gonna make content for children, then we must be very intentional with it.” After revamping his company, which focused on commercial projects, in 2017, Cochran set his sights on making meaningful films that could make an impact on people’s lives. Luki & The Lights brings to life a powerful and emotional story inspired by the real experiences of Sascha Groen and her husband Anjo Snijders, a couple from the Netherlands. When Anjo was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), he and Sascha were faced with the challenge of explaining this difficult disease to their children. Together, they created the character of Luki, a robot who was faced with battling the devastating effects of ALS with the help of his loving friends. “Sascha and Anjo had been working on this crazy idea, and friends of theirs had recommended to make it into a short film,” Cochran says. “That idea kind of came to us as a referral, and then we took that on to help breathe life into the character, help figure out this crazy world. ” 

ALS, a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder, results in the progressive loss of both upper and lower motor neurons that normally control voluntary muscle contraction. Despite famous figures, including baseball player Lou Gehrig and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, being associated with the disease, and the popular Ice Bucket Challenge campaign launched to raise awareness, public understanding of ALS has remained minimal. The challenges those who are diagnosed with ALS face have rarely been depicted honestly on film, and certainly never in a children’s movie. While Cochran immediately saw the value of the project, it did come with significant challenges. “When we first had our call with Sascha and Anjo, they had a list of requirements like most clients do, but their list was quite extensive,” Cochran says. “Anjo wanted it to be medically accurate, educational, to have worldwide appeal and to be entertaining. And then the very last thing he said is he wanted it to be Oscar-worthy. I was like, ‘I don’t know about the very last thing, but we can do our best on the other stuff.’”

Working closely with medical experts and conducting extensive research, Cochran and his team ensured the story’s authenticity. “I did tons of interviews with Anjo, and we had a medical expert, Dr. Melinda S. Kavanaugh, on the team just to help make sure things were accurate,” he says. “We just made sure every step of the way that everything was backed up with research.” The film has resonated deeply, not only with those affected by ALS, but with general audiences as well. Luki & The Lights has garnered numerous awards, including the “Audience Award” at the Florida Film Festival and the “Children’s Audience Award” at Animayo Gran Canaria. Cochran reflects on the widespread positive reception: “Within the ALS community, it’s been widely well-received and accepted,” Cohran says. “A lot of people reached out to us, just saying, ‘Thank you, I feel seen. I wish I had this as a child growing up, watching my mother or my father pass away from this disease.’” The response from young viewers has been especially meaningful. “We’ve been winning a lot of the audience awards at the festivals,” Cohran says. “At the end of the day, the audience is gonna pay for your ticket to begin with. So we’ve done something right to engage the audience and have them connect. And half of those audience awards are from children. That’s a big deal.” As Luki & The Lights continues its festival circuit, Cochran remains focused on the impact of the story and the message it conveys. “When we made it, we obviously tried to do our best to make sure that it’s going to be accepted,” he says. “And first and foremost, we wanted to make sure Sascha and Anjo would be proud of it.”

Toby Cochran’s dedication to creating purposeful, intentional content shines through in every frame of Luki & The Lights, which just played at the FilmQuest 11th Edition in Provo, and will be coming to YouTube in December. Perhaps most importantly, anyone who is dealing with ALS, or knows someone dealing battling it, can go to globalneuroycare.org, where they  can sign up to see the film and receive additional materials to help children better understand the disease. 

Read more from Patrick Gibbs here: 
Film Review: Woman of the Hour
Film Review:  Saturday Night