Insanity makes for the best medicine, or at least that’s the cure prescribed in director Carlos Carrera‘s animated feature Ana y Bruno. The story tells of a little girl named Ana, who lives in a psychiatric institute with her mother. To keep her mom out of grave danger Ana teams up with Bruno, a rascally sprite of unknown origin. Carrera calls the film a “Tim Burton style project” and that’s easy to see in the dark 3D world Ana lives in.
A bump in the night introduces her to Bruno, a character who looks like a combination of Nosferatu and Dobby. The two scream at each other for a bit, making for some fun comedy, before Bruno goes through what can only presume is his job – being the living embodiment of the patients’ delusions. Nothing more is known about Ana or Bruno’s goals – the plot sounds like a close cousin to Pan’s Labyrinth – but after five minutes I’m eager to see where the two go from here.
Originally conceived in 2010, Ana y Bruno is touted as one of the most expensive Mexican productions at 100 million pesos ($5.3 million US). Carrera’s animated feature film debut is already being feted by serious heavy hitters in the industry. Directors Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro praise Ana y Bruno as impressive and funny, reports El Pais. Carrera has the name recognition for both the budget and acclaim. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Lanugage Film in 2002 for El crimen del Padre Amaro. He also won the coveted Palm d’Or at Cannes in 1994 for the short film El heroe.
Already considered one of the most anticipated films in Mexico, Ana y Bruno will premiere at the festival of Annecy in eastern France in June, chosen from over 2,000 projects in 95 countries.