Famed comedian Gabriel Iglesias is reuniting with director and animator Jorge Gutiérrez in an upcoming project for Netflix titled I, Chihuahua. According to reports from Deadline, the animated film is the Gutiérrez’s first feature film for the streamer. Iglesias is set to produce alongside starring in the film.
I, Chihuahua follows the story of Chacho, a masked Luchador Chihuahua. After discovering a threat to his family and home, Chacho dons the mask to take on the challenge of a lifetime; facing various international animal Luchadores as they compete in all-out fighting tournament. But these challengers are no match for Chacho’s biggest opponent, a terrifying creature called Chamuco, or The Widow Maker. A true underdog, Chacho has quite the journey ahead of him if he wants to fight for his family.
“I cannot wait for everyone to see this wonderful film that celebrates underdogs in and out of the ring!” Said Iglesias in a statement. “It has action, drama, laughs and twists & turns, like any great Lucha storyline movie should have.” The comedian and actor has worked with Gutiérrez on a number of projects such as The Book of Life and Maya and the Three, an animated fantasy series Gutiérrez recently developed for Netflix. The series won two Annie Awards for Best Animated Television for Children and Outstanding Achievement for Music. The script for I, Chihuahua is written by Gutiérrez alongside Doug Landale and Candie Kelty Langdale.
“When I first had the idea of a Lucha Libre cartoon, there was no one else I wanted to partner with other than Jorge Gutierrez.” Stated Iglesias, “He has a brilliant mind that can expand this story in unimaginable ways.” Gutiérrez shared the sentiment commenting,
“To finally tag team a movie with my good friend and creative partner Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is a dream come true! Our internationally epic and heartfelt film will be a hilarious love letter to Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) movies, fighting video games and underdog sports films. I don’t want to over promise, but THIS WILL BE THE GREATEST MASKED CHIHUAHUA FILM EVER MADE! What a time to be alive!”
Iglesias reigns as one of America’s most popular stand-up comedians, garnering over 25 million followers across social media, regular selling out shows across the world, and becoming the first comedian to sell out the historic Dodgers Stadium with two shows scheduled for May 6-7, 2022. He has lent his voice to a number of films including Coco, Ferdinand, UglyDolls, and recently Space Jam: A New Legacy. He also briefly led his own sitcom Mr. Iglesias, which ran for two seasons on Netflix. Gutiérrez has also been in the industry since 1998, working on numerous children’s animated shows and features. His most notable work includes Nickelodeon’s El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera which earned Gutiérrez an Emmy for Best TV Character Design, and Cartoon Network’s surreal comedy Mad. As pre-production gets underway, the scrappy underdog story is sure to be a hit with Gutiérrez and Iglesias unique animation and comedy styles.