FILIPINO American filmmaker Ronnie Del Carmen is writing and developing an original animated feature based on Filipino lore and mythology for Netflix.
In an exclusive interview with Cartoon Brew, the Oscar winner and Pixar veteran shared that he has signed a deal with Netflix that covers animated series as well as films. He will also consult on other animated projects at the streaming giant.
“I grew up somewhere else. My story starts in a group of islands, in a region that I’ve now traveled back to many times over. Each time I wish I could stay and relearn what I missed.
Now I feel the pull of figuring out the beginning. The parts that I use to make movies began there. So on this new journey I go where these stories will thrive,” Del Carmen told Cartoon Brew.
“So this is where I’m growing and nurturing these stories that have never been told, in an arena they deserve to belong to,” the animator added.
According to Del Carmen, the creators and storytellers at Netflix have inspired him to bring the stories from the Philippines to the international streaming platform.
“At Netflix I’m inspired by all the creators and storytellers who come from all over the globe, telling tales that are windows into their own worlds which I’m so thrilled to discover,” he told Cartoon Brew.
“I’m hopeful about seeing how all these stories will help fuel change and bring us all a little closer to understanding each other. That’s my next threshold. I’m where I need to be,” he added.
Del Carmen, a University of Santo Tomas (UST) graduate, started in the film industry as a painter on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” which was shot in the Philippines.
Since moving to the United States in 1989, he has worked on several beloved films such as “The Prince of Egypt,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” “Finding Nemo,” “Up,” “Coco,” and “Toy Story 4.”
Del Carmen later co-directed “Inside Out,” which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film in 2016.
