Flavor Quest: Latin American Flavors
Selected for Animation! Focus @ MIFA Pitches 2021
“Flavor Quest” follows the travels of Vera, a culinary magic apprentice who travels the world of Ambrosía rescuing ingredients, recipes and culinary flavors that have been hoarded and hidden from people by the Great Taster. Vera travels with her noble companion Chigu, and the always hungry warrior Candi. Their adventures are guided by a magical cookbook she inherited from her missing father. “Flavor Quest” is an adventure, fantasy and comedy series, a trip through the diversity of flavors of this world, and how these can hold powerful magic.
The project, currently in development, was selected to be part of the Mifa Pitches 2021 Program – Focus Animation! Special Mentoring Program for Women Animation Directors, at Ventana Sur (Arg.). Through this opportunity, they expect to reach agreements that will allow them to continue with the production of the series.
“Just like many other people, I have always had a passion for food. Not only for its flavor, but also for its relationship with people’s rituals, and as part of the cultural imaginary of every community”, says the director.
The variety of flavors is the key to the series, and also an important part of its story, because within this diversity the identities are accentuated, leaving some room for integration. This balance has stood out when presenting the project, because of the references made to these flavors, meant to bring back a memory or to make people identify themselves with them. “When we talk about the series, we play with these elements a lot, including a little humour. Ultimately, we are trying to project the same energy that we want to see in the show,” explains Maria Coello, Director of “Flavor Quest.”
Additionally, in the journey through these flavors they found a space to discuss current issues such as discrimination, the food crisis, the environment, industrialization, among others.
Something more
María Coello is Chilean and Venezuelan. She has a background in Design and Animation. In 2016, she participated in the program Andimation, organized by The Animation Workshop, in Denmark. Fabián Flores, producer and scriptwriter of Flavor Quest has a background in the film industry. Together they are Rayo Púrpura, a creative studio seeking to create original content for Animation, Editorial and Audiovisual media. “Flavor Quest” is their first animated series project. In 2020 they were awarded the Chilean Book Fund which funded their first graphic novel “Hallaca,” a project covering immigration through local flavors.
Short- and long-term challenges
In the short-term, the team expects to connect with animation studios that express interest in being involved with the production of the series, as well as submitting the project to different international co-production funds. In the long-term, the creative studio wishes to take the project to the international film circuits, hoping to attract the attention of distributors or broadcasters that will help internationalize the show.