The Mac Miller Estate releases Balloonerism, the fan-favorite album that Mac created in 2014 from the same creative period that birthed his beloved mixtape Faces, officially for the first time.

After being initially teased with a cryptic trailer at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival this past fall, Balloonerism was preceded by the single “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” which was released last week. The album arrives alongside Balloonerism – A Film Based On The Album By Mac Miller, directed by Samuel Jerome Mason and produced by Hornet. Presented by Remember Music & Warner Records, the film represents a long-form companion to the album that further illuminates the world showcased by the album’s trailer and is available to stream globally via Prime Video now. WATCH HERE

Speaking about the process of conceptualizing and creating the film, Samuel Jerome Mason shares:

“I was first approached by Miller and Karen to work on a music film to accompany Mac Miller’s unreleased album, Balloonerism, in 2023. I began by trying to find a thematic thread running through the album, which features illustrative lyrics that tell beguiling and tangential stories. The line, “but do you feel as big as your shadow,” struck me, and it became the thesis of sorts for the video.

Understanding the album to be about growing up, I set out to make a film that meditates on time—racing time and losing innocence. The roles that children adopt and how those roles ossify into adults who at their cores are still those shadowy children. The main character, Timmy, takes on the role of the wizard or storyteller, the one who summons a vision of the future for his group of friends.

In racing ahead, the children play out their darker instincts, letting their shadows run wild. In trying to fly they fall. But that journey is life itself, and the wisdom of older age resides in the newfound empathy we can extend to our younger, clumsier selves.

This interplay between gravity and light hopefully echoes the emotional effect of Malcolm’s music. He captured the way we all feel at times—lost, confused, and small—with humor, humility, and honesty. This album immortalizes Malcolm’s distinct spirit—as all wizards live forever through their magic—and I tried to do his legacy justice.

The project is indebted to Malcolm and the work surrounding the album—the artwork and plans laid, the maps drawn. As animators and filmmakers, we feel immense gratitude in joining ranks of collaborators and contributors to this album.”