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05/26/2023

Chiquifantástica: An Animated Series Embracing Autism with Joy and Humor


"My style is to work with things that generate joy and humor."

"Chiquifantástica" is an animated series made in Cali that has been selected to participate in the Annecy Animation Festival, the most recognized and influential festival in the entertainment industry for its genre, held in France since 1960.

Produced in record time, the series was created by Ana Sofía Franco and will compete in the "TV Films" section.

The story of "Chiquifantástica" is aimed at preschool audiences and addresses the topic of autism, narrating the experiences of Anita, a five-year-old girl with a rich inner world. Alongside her plush toy, whom she calls Catalina, she turns her everyday life into great adventures. "Through these stories, Anita gives us clues about what it's like to live and feel as an autistic child in a world that still doesn't understand it," says Ana Sofía to CineVista. She was able to produce this series thanks to the grant she received last year from the Ministry of Culture, called "Audiovisual Series Grant for Children's Audiences."

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a topic that is rarely addressed in Colombian audiovisuals. It has a direct connection with the author, as she was diagnosed late with this disorder. "The series is based on experiences from my childhood. I had a plush toy named Catalina, and I was an autistic child, although I only found out about it forty years later. But knowing it made many things fit into my mind and gave them meaning. In each episode, I tell a story that reflects a trait of that invisible autism, level 1, whose manifestations are sometimes very subtle and can go unnoticed, especially in the 80s and 90s when it was seen as a boys' issue, not girls'. For example, in one episode, we talk about hypersensitivity. Anita can't stand loud noises, and clothing labels bother her. In another episode, we discuss hyperlexia because Anita learns to read on her own at a very young age, which brings some frustrations for her at school. In the Annecy episode, we address social anxiety, where she goes to a party and is excited about the event but doesn't have a good time."

With a deep understanding of this disorder, Ana Sofía gives the story a tone that diverges from sadness and drama, instead showcasing Anita's world filled with comedic situations. "Although autism may seem like a dramatic subject, our goal is to portray it in a lively, loving, and humorous way. That's why the character of Catalina, the plush toy, is super funny, spontaneous, and outgoing, while Anita is a slightly introverted girl but also has a great sense of humor."

Animated productions usually take a long time to develop, especially in the Latin American industry due to budget constraints. However, the production team managed to create the series in a record time of four months, thanks to the grant they received, allowing them to produce four seven-minute episodes.

Most of the technical team, including designers, illustrators, and animators, are from Cali, and many of them had their first experience with this production. The music was composed by Gabriel Gómez Franco, with whom Ana Sofía had previously worked on another animated series called "Guillo, the Armadillo," and she believes he captured the soul of the project and the essence of Anita through his pieces. In the artistic department, voices were provided by local artists from Cali, such as Mariana Zapata (Anita), a talented 13-year-old girl, and voice actress María José Arango. Ana Sofía herself lent her voice to the character of the mother.

Regarding their participation in this important event, which will take place from June 11th to 17th, the creator expressed her pleasant surprise. "We submitted the episode without major expectations. It has been a great surprise to learn that it was selected. It will participate in the official competition. It's incredible because we truly made it with very modest resources, in record time, but we poured our hearts into it. The whole team worked hard and fell in love with the character, the stories, and everyone contributed their talent to make this project grow. I'm very happy because this will give it a lot of visibility, and as a content creator and storyteller, it's something very important. There's also the fact that we can talk about autism." Chiquifantástica will have three screenings.

Crowdfunding for the trip to France

Until May 30th, there is an active Vaki (visit it here), a collaborative aid platform, through which the author seeks additional resources to travel to France and attend the event.



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