Annecy: ‘Inzomnia,’ ‘Viking Tales,’ ‘Color Monsters’ Offered By Pixelatl At Annecy
By Emilio Mayorga
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – ANNECY, France– One feature,”Inzomnia,” and four TV series will be presented at Mifa’s Territory Focus devoted to Mexico in a pitching session to take place on Wednesday at the Annecy Animation Festival. The event is organized by Mexican confab for animation Pixelatl .
“Inzomnia” is Mexico’s first stop-motion animation feature and is directed by first-timer Luis Téllez. Produced by former Mexican Cinematheque director Paula Astorga and producer Milko Luis, it participated at Venice’s Gap-Financing Market and Buenos Aires’ market Animation at Ventana Sur. Set in a dystopic world where rulers have created the Inzomnia pill which eliminates citizens’ need for sleep, the film follows 10-year-old Camila in her quest to rescue her parents and the rest of the city’s dwellers from a merciless exploitation.
Preschool-targeted “Color Monsters” is a TV series of 52 seven-minute episodes directed by Gabriel Villavicencio and produced by Cuernavaca’s Vanilla Studio. It turns on funny creatures who must color a B&W planet they encounter. It participated at U.K.’s Children’s Media Conference last year and was the only non-European pitch selected at the event. “Color Monster’s” features “Peppa Pig” producer Joan Lofts as a consultant.
“Viking Tales” is a Mexico’s Mighty Animation TV series production for Cartoon Network Latin America. It follows Viking leader Reidar and a bunch of warriors aiming to become heroes and discover treasures in Midgard’s Land. The IP was created by animator Ivanobich Verduzco.
Another two series at the Mexico Without Borders event are “My Brother the Monster” and “Dog Central.”
A fantasy-comedy targeted to six- to eight-year-old kids, “Brother” is an 11-minute, 55 episode series directed by Ernesto Molina and produced by Gasolina Studios. It follows Mombou, a little monster who grows to 120 inches and is adopted by a human family.
“Dog Central” is a 5- to 8-year-old targeted production from Guadalajara’s Demente Creative Studio, directed by designer Carlos Gaxiola. The 2-minute 52 episodes TV series is in talks for distribution and was also included among the eleven finalists at Pixelatl lab Boot Camp Ideatoon. In “Dog Central,” a guardian dog suffering from narcolepsy and a French Poodle who believes he’s a Pitbull are some of the main canine characters who live in a dog refuge and help other buddies to find a home.
“Central”; Miguel Torres and Stefano Murillo’s “Starfaring Weekly,” (Mexico); Carlos Rupit and Thalia Mendoza’s “Wild Cupcake,” (Mexico); and Rafael Coffee’s “The Arthur’s Watch,” (Brazil), are among the eleven chosen projects for the Pixelatl lab Boot Camp Ideatoon.
The eleven finalists –see list below– will pitch their bibles to TV and feature executives at upcoming Pixelatl Festival in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Ideatoon Bootcamp is an event specializing in animation which is part of a training and mentoring program with industry experts. Pixelatl-organized, Ideatoon is supported by the Science and Technology Innovation Secretary of the state of Morelos, Mexico. Eleven projects were selected by an international committee from an initial 250 applicants from across Latin America.
An association and festival devoted to promotion of multimedia storytelling in Latin America, Pixelatl activities embrace training –more than 800 hours in conferences, workshops, master-classes and keynotes,– and inspiration, through international animation showcases and development, as well as a market.
“I firmly believe that the right support to the creative community will transform Mexico and the world. First, because entertainment-linked industries are a driving force for development in the whole world; technological platforms help to close all the social gaps. And second, because storytelling is the best tool for humans to connect with other peoples and cultures, and with oneself,” Pixelatl Animation CEO Fest José Iñesta told Variety.
Pixelatl event will run Sept. 4-8 at Cuernavaca, the largest city in the Mexican state of Morelos, 30 miles south of Mexico City.
Mifa’s Territory Focus on Mexico
“Color Monsters,” (Vanilla Studio)
“Inzomnia,” (Paula Astorga, Miko Luis)
“Viking Tales,” (Mighty Animation)
“My Brother the Monster,” (Gasolina Studios)
“Dog Central,” (Demente Creative Studio)
Ideatoon Bootcamp finalists:
1.- “Rapper Ripiti,” (Gabriel Pichardo and Yasmin Islas, Mexico)
2. “Anomallies,” (Diego and Sebastián Ramírez, Mexico)
3. “Huge,” (Diego Herrera León, Costa Rica)
4. “Mace and the Multiverse,” Alam Gómez, Arantxa Ramos and Gabriel Rivera, Mexico)
5. “Complaint Box,” (Esteban Granados and Peter Asley, Mexico)
6. “The Apprentice of the Phoenix,” (Cinema Fantasma, Mexico)
7. “Starfaring Weekly,” (Miguel Torres and Stefano Murillo, Mexico)
8. “Dog Central,” (Demente Studio, Mexico)
9. “Wild Cupcake,” (Carlos Rupit and Thalia Mendoza, Mexico)
10.”The Arthur’s Watch,” (Rafael Coffee, Brazil)
11. “Curtis & Bean,” (Edino Israel Ferreyra, Argentina)
