The Adventures of Chispita
- Genre:
- Animated TV series
- Based on:
- The children’s book (2021)
- Audience:
- Young children and families
- Status:
- In development
- Author:
- Leonor Henríquez
- Founder / Creative director:
- Leo Pérez
- Kickstarter:
- CA$15,332 raised from 22 backers
An allegory of life inside Mom’s belly.
“The Adventures of Chispita” started with a sudden spark of light. Written by Leonor Henríquez and illustrated by her daughter, Leo Pérez, the book tells the story of Chispita (“little spark” in Spanish), who grows healthy inside Mom’s belly and has all sorts of adventures in the Enchanted Forest during nine months, bringing fantasy and magic to a world that had only been portrayed from a biological perspective.
Launched in 2021 and available at Indigo/Chapters and in libraries across Western Canada, the book is now being developed into an animated TV series: a fun, dramatic and magical portrait of a real family during a pregnancy, for small kids, young parents and the whole family, about the importance of family, empathy and a sense of belonging.
“It just keeps happening. Life starts joyfully, with a sudden spark of light, a little spark, a Chispita.”
Leonor Henríquez
From Book to Screen
Developing the Series
The first stage takes the story to its series bible, the document that carries a project into production.
Assemble the Team
Interview and cast professionals who not only have the right skills but relate to the story and become passionate about it.
The Writers’ Room
A head writer, a junior writer, a director-writer and the showrunner analyze the story, characters and audience, weave in the biology of pregnancy, develop existing characters and create new ones, and build the dramatic arc of the series, each episode and each character.
The Series Bible
Logline, synopsis, character profiles and arcs, episode and season structure, tone and style, the pilot and second episode scripts, a pitch booklet and a sizzle reel that shows the animation style and sound design.
Pitch to the Networks
Meetings and pitching sessions with the major networks and streaming services to land a production deal and take Chispita onto global television.
Team
The Team Behind Chispita
Leo Pérez
Founder · Creative DirectorIllustrator of the book and the driving force behind the series. Born in Caracas, she moved to Calgary in 2007, studied Visual Communications at the Alberta College of Art and Design and has worked as an art and creative director in the agency world for more than a decade.
Leonor Henríquez
AuthorA civil engineer by training and a writer by heart, with published short stories, testimonies and children’s tales. She created Chispita to honor the joy of a new life, inspired by her daughter’s first pregnancy and her own first grandchild.
Carlos Vera
Chief Financial OfficerAn economist with experience in energy and aviation and a record of selecting critical projects and allocating resources so they are delivered on time and on budget.
Benny Corral
Director · ProducerFor more than three decades, director and producer of commercials for brands such as Coca-Cola, Sony, Bacardi and Disney, and of music videos for Ricky Martin, Plácido Domingo, Luis Miguel, Thalía and Marc Anthony.
Adrián Pastrana
Showrunner · Director · Writer · ProducerMore than twenty years in directing, producing, screenwriting and script editing. Their work includes the acclaimed experimental feature “Autorretrato de un Automóvil”, award-winning shorts and commercials for brands from Samsung to Tecate.
Daniel Estrada
ScreenwriterA screenwriter and actor from Medellín who has written 6 films, 8 series and more than 70 short films, including the animated series “Zooñadores” and “Flashlight”.
Felix Cordova
ProducerAn actor trained at the Derbez & Mitchell Academy, known for telenovelas such as “Baila conmigo” and series such as “Papá soltero” and “Como dice el dicho”.
Conrado Velázquez
Post-producerMore than 30 years in creative editing and post-production, on series such as “¿Quién mató a Sara?” for Netflix and music videos for Magneto and Marco Antonio Solís.