Carlos López Estrada, from the music video to the Oscars in four years

Los Angeles (USA), 19 Mar The young filmmaker Carlos López Estrada (Mexico City, 1988) started making music videos, ventured into fiction in 2018 with “Blindspotting” and his third film, “Raya and the Last Dragon”, has been nominated for best animated film for the 2022 Oscars. The film that aspires to the statuette is co-directed by López Estrada with the American Don Hall (“The Emperor's New Groove”) and is produced by Walt Disney Pictures. His meteoric rise dates back to 2019, when the studio was looking to recruit new directors and Jennifer Lee (“Frozen”) decided to call him to make “Raya and the Last Dragon” after seeing his debut film, “Blindspotting” (2018). And the fact is that the reception of “Blindspotting” by critics and the public had been excellent. Even former President Barack Obama included her in the list of films she liked the most during 2018. This is how the idyll began between this Mexican and the world of American cinema, an environment he has known since he was 13 years old, when he started traveling to Los Angeles (USA) to cement his artistic career. The production of “Raya and the Last Dragon” was framed in a context as uncertain - the first months of the pandemic - as it was timely because of the message and themes it covers. “We were working on the film and we felt that the songs it was playing had a lot to do with what the world was going on,” says López Estrada in an interview with Efe. The plot is based on a story set in Kumandra, a fictional world in which humans and dragons live together in complete harmony until a supernatural force turns all inhabitants into stone. “It's a fantasy world but inspired by the reality of many people who think they have nothing in common and end up realizing that we are all part of the same family,” says the director. For López Estrada, humans sometimes strive to “create imaginary barriers and create divisions” between us, and the film tries to “bring a little light” in this regard. The narrative runs in a middle ground between the concept of “man is a wolf to man” by the British philosopher Thomas Hobbes, and the slogan “man is good by nature”, by the Swiss polymath Jean-Jacques Rousseau. An adventure in which the union of Raya and the dragon Sisu will be decisive for touring the kingdom in search of accomplices who want to participate in the mission of saving humanity. A DISNEY PRINCESS WITHOUT ROMANTIC MOTIVATIONS In this sense, Raya's characterization has been fundamental in conveying the message of equality, respect and solidarity that the film advocates. “We wanted to change the rules of Disney princesses, Raya is not motivated by romantic relationships: she is a warrior with many nuances,” says López Estrada, who added that she had been inspired by her mother - Mexican soap opera producer Carla Estrada - and her grandmother - actress Maty Huitrón - to build the character. A film that is now struggling for the Oscar and that can be enjoyed by both adults and children, because they “understand the background” even if they “are not so aware of the complications of life”. “Raya and the Last Dragon” competes with “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”, “Encanto”, “Flee” and “Luca” for the recognition of the Hollywood Academy that will be awarded on March 27 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Only one week is left until the 2022 Oscar gala and López Estrada, who already won a Latin Grammy in 2012 for an animated video clip for pop duo Jesse & Joy, still considers it “surreal” to be in the list of five finalists due to his short film career. Guillermo Azabal