WBD, Mundoloco CGI Unveil Launchpad Series, Bound for Ventana Sur 

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and leading Latin American animation studio Mundoloco CGI (“Underdogs,” “Mini Beat Power Rockers”) have unveiled a new contest aimed at amping up the development of Latin-American animated series with a high co-production potential and strong international projection.

WBD + Mundoloco CGI | Launchpad Series has selected seven finalist projects among all the titles submitted for selection at Animation! 

A prestigious project and works in progress showcase, Animation! forms part of Ventana Sur, Latin America’s biggest film-TV market organized by the Marché du Film-Cannes Festival, Argentina’s ICAA state institute and ACAU, its counterpart in Uruguay. 

Finalists will present their projects to WBD and Mundoloco CGI representatives. Announced Dec. 5 at the Ventana Sur Awards Ceremony, one winning project will receive a six-month development deal, jointly awarded by Mundoloco CGI and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which takes in artistic and strategic mentorship, guidance on key materials – bible, teaser script, production and financing plan – and support for international markets: pitch preparation, positioning, and roadmap development.

Some selected Launchpad Series creators and producers are known. “City Plants” co-creator Luz Orlando Brennan won renown and good notices, for instance,  for “The Star I Lost (“La estrella que perdí”), her 2024 feature debut as a director.  

Most, however, are emerging talents. Chile’s Plastic Monkey Studio was founded in 2023. “Since then we’ve worked a little low profile creating animated projects which, with a lot of effort, are now seeing the light and crossing frontiers, via association with other producers,” say “Culinary Abyss” creators Cristóbal Figueroa, and Carla Aguilar.

Launchpad Series aims “ to support emerging Latin American animators by developing original IPs, offering creative and technical guidance, and helping local stories reach global audiences,” says Jaime Jiménez, VP of Content and Production, Original Kids & Animation, for Warner Bros. Discovery Latam.

“As a creative animation studio with many years in the industry, we are committed to empowering new regional talent to turn their most passionate ideas into reality,” adds Gastón Gorali, Mundoloco co-founder and CEO.

Launchpad Series contenders run a broad gamut. That said, its backers are looking for a sense of originality and roots.

“Most projects tend to look or feel familiar, like something we’ve already seen. We’re after the exact opposite of that,” Gorali argues.

WBD and Mundoloco CGI are seeking “Original, culturally authentic series with global appeal, emotionally resonant stories, strong characters, and fresh perspectives that can travel across borders, with a focus on quality storytelling and artistic innovation,” Jiménez details. 

Some projects, from their creators’ declarations, obviously fit that bill. “As a producer, I’m interested in producing animated works full of fantasy, comedy, and magical realism, where the folklore that identifies the roots of my culture stands out,” says “The Night of the Sun” creator Diego Pinilla, based in Colombia. 

Both Jiménez and Gorali are convinced that they are mining a rich vein of regional animation. 

“There’s great talent here — both in storytelling and in style,” enthuses Gorali, who is based in Buenos Aires: “I also believe that creative freedom often flourishes within the boundaries of restraint. That’s something we’ve truly mastered in our region.”

Latin American animation “offers rich cultural diversity, bold visual styles, and emotionally driven storytelling. Latin American animators are resourceful and collaborative, bringing fresh, compelling narratives that stand out globally when given the right support,” Jiménez concludes.

And the finalists are: 

“Aliens,” (Clarisa Lea Place, Enzo Ruso Films, Argentina)

Forced like her family to wear alien suits, Liuva, an illegal immigrant in the U.S. doted with a large imagination, seeks a place of belonging in a world of UFOs, Florida alligators, misfit skaters and clandestinity. An adult audience comedy produced by Maria Ayelen Bustos Suárez (“Cosmos 181”) for Enzo Ruso (“The Last One of February”).

“City Plants,” (Plantas de ciudad,” Luz Orlando Brennan, Ezequiel Asnaghi, Make Unit)

A group of neurotic house-plants living high above New York, try to survive owners’ neglect, environmental threats and, mostly, their existential boredom. “There isn’t an animated comedy show about plants. And honestly… how come? We live surrounded by them, we depend on them,” says Asnaghi, adding that the creators “want to make animated worlds that feel alive, imperfect, and profoundly human.”

“Culinary Abyss,” (“Cocina Abismal,” Cristóbal Figueroa, Carla Aguilar, Plastic Monkey Estudio, Chile)

An upbeat 2D fantasy for kids, about Laura, a young chef, who inherits the Casa Laurel restaurant. She meets Lili, a being from the abyss, who comes for her soul but ends up as her personal chef. Via its magic and cooking adventures, “the series strengthens team work, friendship, the importance of making mistakes in order to learn, and the triumph of good,” says Figueroa.

“Jazz & Pizz,” (Joaquín Sánchez, InLimbo Content, Argentina)

After a space accident, Jazz and canine avatar Pizz are forced to land on a post-apocalypse Earth where they discover what happened to humanity. From Buenos Aires-based InLimbo, which aims “to create minimalist 2D animation where sound and music play a central narrative role, blending adventure and lo-fi aesthetics,” says Sánchez, adding that InLimbo hopes to have a completed teaser at Spain’s Weird Market next year.

“Matias,” (João Castro, Kaplow, Brazil)

Matias, a painfully introverted 20-year-old, tries to survive adulthood between awkward job interviews, disastrous dates and social traps. Described by producer César Barbosa as “a sharp dialogue-driven comedy about the absurdity of modern life.” From the creative duo formed by directors-writers-producers César Barbosa and Castro, specializing in the development of animation projects and working out of the Rio-based Kaplow. 

“The Night of the Sun,” (“La Noche del sol,” Diego Alexander Pinilla Rozo, Souvenir Audiovisual, Colombia)

As a dry run, the Devil unleashes the Apocalypse on a sleepy Colombian town, unleashing aliens, meteors, zombies. But Juanita, Valentino and Ema, a small and peculiar family, face far more complex challenges: job-hunting, math homework and seeking intense emotions to keep on living. The Apocalypse is just another day on Earth. “Here, apocalypses are fun, ghosts wander through the forests and desserts are delicious,” says Pinilla.

“One About Vampires,” (“Una de Vampiros,” Alicides Izaguirre, Agustín Paillet, Newbean, Argentina)

Based on Paillet’s same-titled graphic novel, the story of two five-year-old kids who go through childhood with the same level of drama and anxiety as any pair of grown-ups. A 2D adventure comedy “mixing wholesomeness with dark comedy,” says Paillet. “The humor comes from the clash between the seriousness of the subjects presented and the naive world of childhood,” he tells Variety.