Guillermo del Toro-Backed El Taller del Chucho, Fasten Films, Martfilms Team on ‘Sira and the Secret of the Park,' From Adrià García, Ángeles Cruz (EXCLUSIVE)
Mexico's Guillermo del Toro backed El Taller del Chucho and Martfilms are partnering with Spain's Fasten Films on 'Sira and the Secret of the Park,' an animated feature in development from Goya-winning director Adrià García ('Nocturna') and Ariel-winning writer-director and actor Ángeles Cruz ('Nudo Mixteco').
Backed by ICEC, Creative Europe MEDIA and Ibermedia, the Spanish-Mexican co-production blends fantasy and coming-of-age genres in a visually ambitious project that explores identity, generational memory and ancestral myth.
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Set in a vast urban park in Barcelona, 'Sira and the Secret of the Park' follows a 12-year-old girl living in a modest home hidden among the trees. When she stumbles upon an enchanted necklace, Sira is pulled into a magical world that mirrors her emotional journey. As both realms begin to blur, she must navigate a path between them to restore a fragile balance only she can sense.
'In 'Sira,' the world of the park is almost a projection of the character's inner life,' García told Variety. 'It's not just about escaping into another world — it's about making that world meaningful, intertwined with who the character is and what they're going through.'
To reflect that duality, the film will employ a hybrid animation approach.
'Sira's everyday world which feels rigid, structured and formal might be represented through stop-motion, giving it a solid, tangible weight,' García added. 'Meanwhile, the magical hideout in the park would be hand-drawn: organic, fluid, in constant motion. The collision of these two worlds will create a unique visual experience.'
The screenplay is written by Cruz, whose work draws deeply from her Indigenous Mixtec heritage and personal mythology.
'The stories I've written are shaped by the perspective that forms me — not something recent, but inherited from my grandmothers, from the community I belong to, from the forest that nourished my spirit,' Cruz said. 'That's why I feel that 'Sira' also tells my story — those legends and tales that nourished me as a child, my nagual that protects me, and those things we must see with the soul.'
García called Cruz's perspective 'essential' to the project. 'Her deeply human vision brings a sensitivity and a connection to the ancestral and the magical that we truly need,' he said.
The film is based on an original idea by Spanish author Aixa de la Cruz. The prestige producer partnership takes in Adrià Monés Murlans ('The End of It') for Fasten Films, Claudia Calviño ('Yuli') for Cuba, Martha Orozco ('Pornomelancholia') for Martfilms and Angélica Lares (Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio') for El Taller del Chucho.
'We see this as a producer-driven project,' said Lares. 'When Adrià Monés reached out to Martha Orozco with the idea, she directly contacted me to start building Sira's world. We want to tell a deeply touching coming-of-age story of a young person finding her path and diving into a rich otherworld filled with mythical creatures from our different cultures. That makes it a perfect fit for El Taller. Adding Ángeles Cruz also seemed natural to give Sira a voice. We're very excited to be working with her.'
Currently in development, 'Sira and the Secret of the Park' is seeking additional international partners ahead of a targeted production launch.
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