My Chemical Romance and Lauren Tsai release short film Prelude to The End

My Chemical Romance and visual artist Lauren Tsai have teamed up for a new short film titled Prelude to The End. The film arrives in conjunction with the 20th anniversary celebrations of the album The Black Parade. The 20th anniversary reissue of The Black Parade was released the week before the film's release.

The film will screen at the final two performances of The Black Parade Tour's US leg at the Hollywood Bowl on October 30th and 31st. The film is produced by Tsai's independent studio UNREAL INC. The film's soundtrack is the album's opening track, "The End".

Tsai voices the lead character Astrid, Billie Eilish plays her friend, and Phoebe Bridgers portrays her sister. Hideo Kojima voices a teacher and John C. McGinley plays the school's dean. The film follows Astrid, a student at a peculiar New England boarding school, after authority figures discard her cherished sketchbook.

The film includes a live recording of Pascal Dusapin's Flying River, Violin Concerto, performed by Utopia Orchestra and conducted by Giuseppe Mengoli. Tsai debuted The Dying World as a short film at the 2025 Annecy Film Festival. Tsai's other credits include directing the music video for boygenius' "Cool About It."