Yahoo Lifestyle Academy Award-Winning Animation Studio Punkrobot Unveils Debut Feature ‘Brave Cat’ With First-Look Teaser (EXCLUSIVE)
Santiago-based Chilean animation studio Punkrobot has announced its first feature project, “Brave Cat,” and has shared a first exclusively with Variety.
Founded by Antonia Herrera, Gabriel Osorio, Mari Soto-Aguilar and Pato Escala, their short “Bear Story” charmed the Academy in 2015, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Short — Chile’s first-ever Academy Award. The studio recently collaborated with Lucasfilm on “Star Wars: Visions” with their episode “In the Stars,” taking home Best Commissioned Animation at last month’s Quirino Awards.
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“Releasing this sneak peek so early is an unconventional move,” Pato Escala, a producer on the project, told Variety, “but it’s a statement that we believe in the importance of our message, our stories, and the power of cinema. We aim to find the best partners to help us share this story.”
“Brave Cat” is not a sequel to “Bear Story.” “It’s a successor to ‘Bear Story’ in a way,” Gabriel Osorio, the director, added. “While ‘Bear Story’ told a story from the point of view of someone exiled, Brave Cat tells the story of someone searching for their missing loved one.”
The film tracks Kona, a teenage forest cat who decides to face her fears and search for her missing mother, who was kidnapped by the circus long ago. Along with Colin, an abandoned guard dog puppy, and Bernard, a runaway old circus bear, the three embark on a cross-country search for their lost families. The narrative draws on Chile’s history, specifically Pinochet’s dictatorship from 1973 to 1990, during which many people disappeared and hundreds of thousands fled the country.
“There are still people missing to this day. Ultimately, the film will try to explore forgiveness of the unforgivable,” Osorio said. It is challenging to balance a story of such weight for a family audience, but “Bear Story” proved Osorio and Punkrobot capable of blending charm, melancholy, and history. The trailer showcases their mastery of a style that blends a 3D CGI aesthetic with the imperfections of stop-motion.
Escala is producing with Antonia Herrera and Mari Soto-Aguilar. “We are four partners. We designate directors for projects—someone has to have the final word. But really, we are at this point one mind in a way. We are always brainstorming; the four of us work very closely on all the projects,” Osorio explained.
The studio is on a roll, heading to Annecy to seek partners for this project while enjoying their official selection for “Wow Lisa,” a TV film directed by Herrera and Soto-Aguilar.
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