In a summer season that will see the return of a former animation champion (Pixar’s Inside Out) and a new spinoff from an established franchise (Illumination’s Minions), it’s easy to forget some of the smaller releases that will bow in coming months. Such is the case with the following film.
Courtesy of Cartoon Brew, the English-language trailer for the CG-animated film El Americano: The Movie was released. The film is a US-Mexican co-production between Animex, Edward James Olmos’ LA-based Olmos Productions, and Phil Roman Entertainment.
Watch the trailer here:
At a budget of only $4 million, this film is obviously not very appealing to look at (at least for those more accustomed to the high-end production values typical of US productions). Here, the filmmakers appear to opt for a stylized approach that only suggests visuals (such as feathers) that would be made obvious in a higher budget production. It’s a noble creative decision, given what filmmakers had to work with, but the results are…underwhelming, to say the least. This is unfortunate, as both the silly tone of the trailer and the animation itself disguise the fact that El Americano‘s story addresses a real and serious topic.
The film’s plot concerns a young Mexican parrot named Cuco who, in an effort to save his family’s circus from a looming threat, heads to the United States to enlist the help of the eponymous hero from his favorite TV show.
“We wanted to tell a story about how borders are just a line on a map and when you are honest and you do things the right way there are a lot of possibilities out there for everybody,” co-director and Animex founder Ricardo Arnaiz told Animation Magazine. “It’s a good message for Mexicans looking for the American dream and realizing that while they were looking out there, it’s inside them.”
We also have a clear idea of exactly when the film will be released. According to Desde Hollywood, the film will open in US theaters on August 28, 2015. In effect, El Americano will share the same space as two other animated imports: Argentinian-animated Underdogs from The Weinstein Company (August 14) and Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep Movie from Lionsgate (August 7). El Americano will be distributed independently with the help of FilmSharks International and ThinkLatino.
Lastly, for those who are interested in this film (and happen to live in the Los Angeles area), El Americano is set to have its red carpet premiere at L.A. Live’s Regal Cinemas Stadium 14 theater as part of Dish Latino’s Hola Mexico Film Festival. Check the event page on Facebook for more details.
What do you think? Are you interested in El Americano?
Edited by: Hannah Wilkes
