Oscar winner Aron Warner, producer of all four Shrek films, has joined forces with Mexican animation studio Huevocartoon to work on their new film, The Alebrijes. It is going to be launched at the Cannes Film Festival 2021 investor fair by Sydney-based Odin’s Eye Animation.
The 3D film will be co-directed by Ariel award-winning siblings Rodolfo and Gabriel Riva Palacio from their very own screenplay. It is co-scribed by Carlos Kotkin.
“Working with the Huevocartoon team has been an incredible experience. They have built a world-class CG animation studio and are attracting top talent from around the world. I have tremendous confidence in his ability to make a movie that not only looks great, but is also full of heart and humor,” said Warner to The Hollywood Reporter about working with Huevocartoon on The Alebrijes.
The Alebrijes follows Pedro, an orphan who unwittingly is trusted with a legendary field containing an historical race of creatures. Alongside his magical companion Puca, Pedro and the opposite youngsters from the orphanage embark on a journey to find their long-lost households, battling the grasping Vasco who calls upon the creatures to do his evil bidding.
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.”
In 2002 Warner won an Oscar in the category of Best Animated Film, thanks to DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek. His work as a producer also includes films such as Antz: Ant, The Book of Life and Angry Birds 2: The Movie, among others.
Huevocartoon has been responsible for films such as A Movie About Eggs (2006), Another Movie About Eggs and a Chicken (2009), Eggs in Short (2010), A Rooster with Many Eggs (2015) and Marcianos vs Mexicanos (2018). The studio has also dedicated its work to promoting television projects and advertising campaigns.