Parallel to the start of the electoral process in this September, for the 2018 General Election in Mexico , a series of animated characters – in 3D – will also enter into the public eye in a battle for the “Official Residence in Los Pinos.”
From their offices in Polanco, Mexico City, the political marketing consultant's office MKF Mekamorfosis works at a quick pace to bring to life the characters of the series “Mexicartoons. Los Residenciables” (Mexicartoons. The Residentiables).
The entire is staff is Mexican, all young adults below the age of 30, and they have set to the task of reinventing and refreshing the way people approach politics through a high-quality 3D series, depicting the difficulties of the presidential succession, particularly for the upcoming one.
The creators of “The Residentiables" told EL UNIVERSAL that the first of 40 episodes will launch this September , when the presidential process begins, and will conclude in June next year, when the next President of Mexico is defined; in other words, when its pixel counterpart becomes the next resident of “Los Finos” (wordplay of Los Pinos, the name of the official residence of the Mexican President).
“We don't want to make only political campaigns – which we have done before – but we want to take our consultancy to another level and “The Residentiables” to television and other platforms, as a reflection of the presidential succession in Mexico.
The Residentiables is a comedy, a satyr, which delves in the day-to-day of the politicians with a subtle and clever touch, in order to give Mexican television a change of air and refresh Mexican politics, which is riddled with “low blows and disqualifications”, claims Cristina Gardea Tena, executive producer of the project.
The 40 episodes, with a duration of 20-minutes each, are expected to air every two weeks. The creators are aiming for a multi-platform streaming series, from Netflix to open television, cable, and Internet.
“There won't be self-censorship of any kind. We can't say there won't be temptations from politicians wanting to meddle, but we'll be careful that doesn't happen. We don't want to shy away from anyone or anything; our aim is to reflect what's happening in the public life. If a character has more relevance is because he is better accepted by the citizens,” highlights the executive producer.
This project requires a huge investment due to the advanced technology it needs, yet this is a private effort, without funding from any individual or political party. “We're a group of young people who are doing a tremendous effort,” says Cristina Gardea.
Alvyn Cabuto, general director and one of those behind the project, says the idea of the series originated in the lack of content in Mexican television, and that the first drafts began in May. “Creating the characters from scratch was the main challenge,” he says, considering the task requires a huge team of designers, animators, programmers, political analysts, voice actors and other countless people.
He also says one of the biggest challenges they will have to face, will be to do in two weeks what most foreign 3D animation films do in a year. “This will allow us to run parallel to the political situation. It's a huge challenge, but we accept it whole-heartedly,”
“It's our first project, but it's trasendence and seeing that we can succeed will be gratifying. That is currently our main motivation,” says the general director.
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