\n\t\u201cMu-Ki-Ra,\u201d from Colombian creative powerhouse Estefania Pineres Duque and Spain\u2019s \u00c1bano Producions, producer of Annecy winner \u201cDecorado,\u201d will be brought to market by Latido Films at Locarno.<\/p>\n
\n\tAn animated musical adventure about diversity, empathy and the power to turn fear into friendship, \u201cMu-Ki-ra\u201d was selected for Cannes\u2019 2024 Annecy Animation Showcase, one of the most prestigious lineups on the animation calendar. The now completed \u201cMu-ki-ra\u201d will screen in August at Locarno Kids<\/a>, fast emerging as a Locarno Festival sidebar which also drives an ever larger part of the fest\u2019s business dealings.<\/p>\n \n\tClear political allegory, in \u201cMu-ki-ra,\u201d Cleo, 13, and her little brother Mart\u00edn, live in a world plagued by monsters that attack at night. When Mart\u00edn is kidnapped by a monster, Cleo ventures into the jungle to rescue him, aided by an elderly witch and a naughty anteater. Along the way, Cleo discovers that the monsters\u2019 aren\u2019t as monstrous as most everyone thinks.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tSpeaking to\u00a0Variety\u00a0before the Cannes March\u00e9 du Film\u2019s Annecy Animation Showcase,\u00a0Pi\u00f1eres said the film is \u201cinspired by Latin American childhood experiences, which are often immersed in complex environments,\u201d adding: \u201cIt wishes to be a celebration of their light and a reflection upon their darkness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tShe added that her goal with \u201cMu-Ki-Ra\u201d was \u201cto create a tale that has its own voice, representing its background but also to find a way to comment on it through its music and visual universe rather than just portraying it. Hopefully, it will connect with children who live in similar contexts through hope.<\/p>\n \n\tBest known as the star of Netflix psychological family thriller \u201cDelirio,\u201d Pi\u00f1eres Duque has also served as a writer on \u201cPalace\u201d and a story editor on \u201cEn diciembre llegaban las Brisas,\u201d two of the biggest plays on Netflix\u2019s 2026 production slate as it embraces the work of key young Colombian creatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBased out of Galicia, northwest Spain, \u00c1bano Producions is headed by Chelo Loureiro, a five-time Spanish Academy Goya winner for \u201cValentina, which she directed, and titles from Alberto V\u00e1zquez such as \u201cDecorado,\u201d the feature and the short,\u201d and \u201cUnicorn Wars.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201c\u2019Mu-ki-ra\u2019 is a more than delightful, exquisite and beautifully crafted all family film, which intelligently presents that sometimes the \u2018others\u2019 and the \u2018different\u2019 are precisely the parts of us that we miss,\u201d Latido Films head Antonio Saura told Variety. \u201cWe hope that everyone that watches this film will experience the joy and fascination we had when we were lucky to be chosen by the producers to represent it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tStills from \u201cMu-ki-ra\u201d show its combination of quaint, picturesque 2D, and a more explosive mix of vibrant Caribbean tropical tones.\u00a0<\/p>\n