The dust has settled at this year’s Comic Con International in San Diego, and among the multitude of action, sci-fi, horror and comic-related entertainment properties was an unusual suspect: an indie animated film called Wolf Dog Tales (www.wolfdogtales.com) focusing on ancient stories of respecting life and the earth. Wolf Dog Tales received Comic-Con’s award for Best Animated Film.
Bernadine Santistevan, the Latina director and writer of Wolf Dog Tales, was inspired to make this film shortly after the passing of her Dachshund companion of 20 ½ years, Paco Sosa, also known as New York’s oldest dog.
“Each story that I include in Wolf Dog Tales is something that Paco taught me while we were together,” says Bernadine. It was only after returning to her homeland of New Mexico that Bernadine discovered that what she had learned from Paco had direct links to indigenous New Mexican beliefs of animal teachings. “Animals have been showing us ways of respecting life and the earth for thousands of years,” comments Bernadine.
For decades the comic industry has been considered a predictor of emerging trends—not only in pop culture, but also in social and political movements. The industry has also been a successful research and development laboratory for the entertainment sector, with numerous examples of blockbuster movies, television series and video games originating from the preferences of passionate comic fans. A few recent examples include The Walking Dead, Iron Man and Thor.
Bernadine worked with an Emmy-winning animator/designer who goes by the name of “Igor” to create Wolf Dog Tales. The animation was inspired by Navajo sand paintings—an ancient art from—and original techniques for animating sand were developed for the film. She also worked with New York’s iconic filmmaker Larry Fessenden who performs the voice-over role of Wolf Dog, as well as two-time Grammy-winner Robert Mirabal from New Mexico’s Taos Pueblo who plays traditional Native American music.
Could Comic Con International’s selection of Wolf Dog Tales as Best Animated Film suggest audience demand for entertainment with inspiring messages? Or better yet, could this selection indicate an emerging social and political movement towards respecting life and the earth? This is precisely Bernadine’s hope as she and her team enthusiastically develop of a variety of cross-media initiatives based on Wolf Dog Tales, including a feature film, a children’s book series, an animated TV series and a graphic novel.
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