3 months ago
“Ahahayy!! Viva Mexico, cabrones!” With that conflict cry, Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro announced Mexico arsenic nan Country of Honor astatine this year’s Annecy, France’s preeminent animation movie festival.
According to organizer Pixelatl, an relation dedicated to nan creation and promotion of Mexico’s multimedia content, much than 250 Mexican animators and producers will descend connected Annecy pinch 9 programs scheduled.
“The Book of Life” head Jorge R. Gutiérrez, whose Netflix bid “Maya and nan Three” won 4 Emmys and an Annie, created nan poster and title cards of nan show and will besides beryllium hosting a Master Class and screening of “The Book of Life.”
Del Toro’s champion animated characteristic Oscar for his “Pinocchio” this twelvemonth could not beryllium much fortuitous and timelier for nan festival, Gutiérrez observes. Aside from a typical screening of “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” nan maestro will besides beryllium presiding complete a maestro class.
Reflecting connected nan emergence of Mexican animation connected nan world stage, Del Toro says: “Particularly successful extremity motion, Mexico has been moving its measurement into nan mean stronger and stronger. My partner Rigo Mora and myself started experimenting pinch extremity mobility formally successful nan 1980’s and that jolted nan liking of nan organization successful my location municipality of Guadalajara, Mexico. A very beardown contingent of extremity mobility animators came from that and a decade aliases truthful later, a fewer groups started successful Mexico City and Monterrey etc. and yet started getting recognized successful festivals astir nan world.”
He points retired that Marcel Delgado, a Mexican from Coahuila, was coming astatine nan genesis of modern extremity motion, creating “King Kong” alongside Willis O’Brien. “I deliberation this mean is earthy to america – and allows films to beryllium done pinch comparatively smaller resources,” he says.
Today, a number of animation companies successful Mexico person been successful theatrically, led by Anima Studios and nan Huevocartoons franchise, founded successful 2001 by nan Riva Palacio family and Carlos Zepeda.
“Mexican movie is amended represented by dozens of superb animators participating successful short films aliases lending their talents to films for illustration ‘Spiderverse,’ ‘Pinocchio’ and productions astatine DreamWorks, Sony, Disney,” Del Toro says, pointing retired that talents for illustration Carlos Carrera moreover won nan Palme d’Or successful Cannes pinch his short film, “El Heroe.”
“We’re now much of a work manufacture but we’re increasing into a unit to reckon pinch internationally,” notes Jaime Jimenez, VP of contented and original production, kids & family for Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America (WBD LatAm). “We person galore animators moving overseas but we dream much of them return to springiness backmost and stock their expertise,” he adds.
Annecy Festival Poster 2023
WBD LatAm is besides presenting Lucha Libre 2D animated bid “Rey Mysterio,” a co-production pinch Mexican studios ¡Viva Calavera! and Mighty, and deed bid “Villainous,” among different projects, astatine Annecy.
With much group moving abroad, “we now person nan first procreation of knowledgeable animation artists who are school astatine our schools,” Gutiérrez observes.
Leading nan vanguard of upcoming original characteristic films made wholly successful Mexico is nan much-anticipated extremity mobility pic, “Frankelda and nan Prince of Spooks” a co-production betwixt Cinema Fantasma and Cartoon Network, a WBD brand.
A spin-off from nan celebrated bid “Frankelda’s Book of Spooks,” a fewer minutes of nan characteristic will beryllium shown astatine Annecy’s Works successful Progress sidebar, says Pixelatl CEO Jose Iñesta, arsenic will nan caller return connected DC’s Dark Knight, “Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires,” a collaboration involving WB Animation, Particular Crowd, Mexico’s Anima Studios and “Book of Life” shaper Chatrone.
“The animation manufacture has grown tremendously successful Mexico, particularly during nan past fewer years,” notes Anima Studios’ Jose Carlos Garcia de Letona, who will beryllium participating astatine a sheet successful Annecy. “What really sets america isolated is nan wealthiness of Mexican folklore and mythology that we tin utilization successful our stories,” he says, adding that Anima Studios has produced 24 animated features truthful acold and runs studios successful Mexico City and nan Canary Islands.
“By shedding ray connected nan untapped practice of Mexico, we are uncovering hidden treasures that connection profound insights into our country’s history, personality and nan contributions of its Indigenous peoples,” says Jacobo Salomón, shaper of a Mexican-Brazilian-French co-production successful development, “The Mark of nan Jaguar” trilogy, which has been selected to participate successful Meet nan Producers – Gap Financing time astatine Annecy.
Part 1 of nan 2-D animated trilogy, “The Mark of nan Jaguar: The Awakening of Fire,” centers connected Aztec warriorXilacatzin, whose acheronian people connected his assemblage makes his group cull him.
Said head Victor Mayorga: “I chose this taxable because location is very small known astir nan latest findings successful archeology and anthropology astir nan civilization of our Indigenous peoples, moreover successful their conflict against nan Spanish colonizers.”
Meanwhile, Gutiérrez hopes to make his upcoming Netflix animated characteristic astir a scrappy masked luchador dog, “I, Chihuahua,” successful Mexico, pinch comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias arsenic producer, co-writer and lead sound talent. He has besides been processing an adult-targeted bid and a family series, which he besides wants to make successful Mexico.
The state has nan infrastructure for “I, Chihuahua’s” above-average budget, but possibly not nan experience, though having immoderate scenes of “Pinocchio” made location has “opened nan doors for much awesome productions,” he notes.
“Annecy giving our state a large nickname was thing captious that has been pursued and earned for years now and I, for one, americium very thankful,” says Del Toro.
