Aron Warner, best known as the Oscar-winning producer of Shrek (and its sequels), is teaming up with Mexican animation house Huevocartoon Studios on a new feature, The Alebrijes, which is being introduced to buyers in Cannes by Sydney-based outfit Odin’s Eye Animation.
Production on the 3D film — which is being co-directed by Ariel award-winning siblings Rodolfo and Gabriel Riva Palacio from their own screenplay, co-scribed by Carlos Kotkin (Rio 2) — will be centered at Huevocartoon, which is responsible for repeated local box office hits with their Huevos saga animations.
The Alebrijes follows Pedro, an orphan who unwittingly is trusted with a legendary box containing an ancient race of creatures. Alongside his magical companion Puca, Pedro and the other children from the orphanage embark on a journey to discover their long-lost families, battling the greedy Vasco, who calls upon the creatures to do his evil bidding.
“Working with the Huevocartoon team has been an incredible experience,” said Warner, whose other credits include Book of Life and Wish Dragon. “They’ve built a first-class CG animation studio and are attracting top talent from all over the world. I have tremendous confidence in their ability to deliver a movie that not only looks great but is also full of heart and humor.”
Directors Rodolfo and Gabriel Riva Palacio said that the creatures in the film were inspired by traditional Mexican folk art.
“They are chimeric creatures that everyone has a magical connection to and when summoned, they will come to our aid,” they said. “However, when a bad-natured person takes on such a power it will often take a brave group of unlikely friends to stand together to defeat the powers of evil.”
