Animated Short ‘Caracol Cruzando’ Shows Immigration Experience Through Eyes of a Child

By Terry Flores

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The story of one family’s harrowing journey into the United States from Costa Rica is told through the eyes of an 8-year-old girl in the animated film “Caracol Cruzando.”

The timely short will debut as part of the Online Film Festival , running from July 16-27. It is written and directed by Pamela Maria Chavez and presented by Latino Public Broadcasting .

The story tells the tale of Caracol and her father crossing the border separately from her mother and brother. They run into trouble when Caracol tries to sneak her pet turtle into the U.S. in her backpack and the pair face uncertainty about when they will be reunited with the rest of her family.

“This film offers a unique and moving perspective of the experience, one that could not be presented at a better time given recent events targeting the separation of children and parents at the border,” says illustrator and animator Chavez.

All the short films featured in the festival will be available for streaming on PBS.org, YouTube and PBS social media channels, as well as on the PBS app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku and FireTV devices, from July 16 through July 27. Viewers will be able to vote for their favorite films to receive the Most Popular award. A juried prize will be awarded by an eight-person jury.