Condorito In The USA?

Condorito, the star of the world’s most widely syndicated Hispanic comic strip, is about to become the top Hispanic star in the U.S., if his backers at World Editors, Inc. have anything to say about it. The main attraction in the long-running comic feature is Condorito himself, the half-man half bird, known internationally as “Little Condor.” Condorito has been a funny-pages mainstay in South America and Latin America for more than 50 years, and now appears in more Spanish language newspapers than any other syndicated strip. Condorito is well known by 75% of the 40 million Hispanics living in the U.S., yet he’s not tested his wings in U.S. entertainment markets … until now.

Tapping the talents of the top Hispanic writers and comics in the industry, as well as licensing, publishing, and syndication experts, World Editors is determined to make Condorito the next big crossover star in the states, setting their sites on Hollywood for an original animated TV series.

“We can guarantee this property will deliver the Hispanic audience in the United States, as well as Latin America, and we’ll capitalize on our ability to create a seamless bilingual product that will appeal to the non-Hispanic population, too.” said David Taggart of World Editors.

Condorito is one of the biggest transnational brands in the Hispanic world, and an intercontinental team from Santiago, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and New York is scripting his U.S. debut. Collaborating in the development of an original animated TV series are Emmy award winner Sergio Guerrero, co-writer and producer of the film A Day Without a Mexican, Rick Najera, the award-winning creator and driving force behind the long-running hit, Latinologues™, and Eugenio Derbez, a veteran TV actor, comic, and writer, whose credits include “Hospital el Paisa” and more recently, Shrek 2. The team is complemented by artists and animators Juan Diego Garreton and Alejandro Rojas of the Santiago, Chile-based animation studio, Cineanimadores, producers of the animated feature Ogu & Manpatu, and upcoming Latin America productions for Disney, who are developing the initial visual concepts for the series.

“The United States has never met a character quite like Condorito; half-man, half-bird, 100% original,” said David Taggart of World Editors. “To create a lively and unconventional TV script worthy of the character required the exceptional writing talents of Rick, Sergio, and Eugenio. All three grew up with Condorito and have a real affection for the character.”

“Condorito has a great history and is loved and known by millions. We want to keep the comedy inherent in the strip, but serve it up in English,” said Najera, whose writing credits also include “In Living Color” and “MAD TV.” “Like the condor, this comedy will have no borders.”

“Condorito is right for the U.S. and right for this time. Like so many hardworking Americans, he lives on a shoestring, yet has the world by the tail. He scrapes along doing the best he can, putting his wits and ingenuity to work, and somehow, he never seems to have a worry in the world. This positive portrayal of an everyday hero is sure to resonate with a wide audience,” said Taggart.