
“Buffalo Kids” is centered on Mary and Tom Irish orphans who come to the US to find their uncle and the people they meet on their way, as well as Nick, another orphan with cerebral palsy, who proves to be able to treasure as well. The separate history of their journeys includes Nick, a wheelchair-bound orphan who is soon incorporated as the pair’s brother.
The movie depicts the sibling relationship that forms the crux of the movie and even hereto one is compelled to believe that it is the relationship between Mary and Nick that is the central focus of the movie. It is perhaps not so surprising as this is taken from true life where Alejandra the daughter of co-director Pedro Solis Garcia has a sibling relationship with a brother who has cerebral palsy.
Jordi Gasull, the film’s co-screenwriter and producer, recalls the naive excitement of Nicolas, who was unfortunate not to have lived to see the film he inspired, even if only in his mind. In a recent interview with Variety, he stated that the 16-year-old had only a week left before ‘Buffalo Kids’ started shooting.
After a great deal of effort in search of financing for the film that comes from the same talent behind “Mummies”, Gasull was pleased to inform Solís Garcia that the project had been revived. says Gasull getting emotional during the conversation. But the director (who actually, together with Juan was responsible for the film’s production) was able to utter these words to his son It’s going to be done. “When Pedro told Nico ‘We are going to do your film’ he looked at him in such a way that almost brings out a smile,” recalls Gasull. “It was very touching and we dedicate it to [the film] Niko and all the children that suffer from cerebral palsy.”
Although León has played the most important role in the production of this film for the Spanish company Cats Pictures, and Anangu, it also features the true story of Los Array together with other stories. “Buffalo Kids” made its debut in the United Kingdom and Ireland, this time under the control of Warner Bros Discovery, after gaining success in Spain; the movie is on its way to the origin country as it plans to become more successful in the foreign box office as well.
Before the premiere, Gasull, in an interview with Variety, brought up how the film was created and if there were any chances of it being put into a different distribution center which would be in North America. Buffalo Kids is in part about your life as it deals with your childhood trauma. Was there a moment when you realized you wanted to tell this story? In your words, who is the target audience for you, since you are now addressing more such people?
The film revolves around the daughter of the main character who is actually a bunch of stuffed animals. Pedro told me, “I want to do a feature film out of the story of my kid.” and I was like “Yeah of course but the first thing we need to do is come up with a story,” and in this case movie where the characters are based on. He sent me a story about orphans in its essence “Home Alone” set in an orphanage but honestly, this was a big flop for me. But then a friend of mine said how there was this book about New York orphans in the 19th century. It’s a thrilling book and once I read the synopsis, I was like “This is exactly what we need.” So, to me, the thing was to go out and look for real orphans, real stories in the wilderness out in the frontier because that way I started to sense that we were onto something.
With great effort, we formed the initial piece of the screenplay and I still remember talking to Nick as I worked with Pedro, while he was thinking, ‘My son doesn’t speak at all. It is impossible to have one whose only line is ‘He has to have eyes that talk, that’s it!” So, in such a light I got a bit more puzzled as did I to the explanations given by Pedro, and went hunting for films featuring Nick. After that, I rewrote the screenplay wherein Nick does not speak. We showed this to Pedro and he said “This is now my son.”
No. It was the opposite. I would be informed more than once that the storyline and the characters making up the story were rather linear yet brilliantly crafted, quite the opposite. They tended to dismiss it as a rather ordinary adventure for the spectators. But nobody ever said to me: ‘This is not a charming hero.’ Quite the opposite. They said that the script was beautiful.
No. I never thought we would get any of the nominations for the AACTA award. The Spanish market, with a population of 47 million people and a living standard that is flourishing will only see growth in the future. I remember when I first came to I could not have imagined the reception I and Director Aldergeg were given, it was in the volume sometimes controlled by the local government. Since Alderge is a sole company in Romania, we were expecting no less. In other words, we were not surprised.
For me, the hardest scene was when we encountered the buffalo. I recall a similar event when I was driving through Yellow Stone and accidentally collided with a wild buffalo. It was particularly traumatic for my youngest son who hurt his nose, while my eldest son approached the dying buffalo and attempted to touch it. But, more than such speculations, I heavily felt that more or less I animated that sequence. And rightfully so, as it was evident how beautifully the dance scene was crafted along with Nick and Mary. For instance, while interacting with Pedro and Galo, one was simply able to say: “You guys are great” All the time in Spain I say ‘muffin’ and ‘I cried thanks to you’. In a way, what made a huge impact on me and many in fact was their stunning performance. This type of neo-realist cinema’s work is difficult because the anime was based on realistic fiction and the set was low budget yet they created unusual sensations.
We’ve received a lot of letters, and messages, and reached out via Facebook, and through the sites of 4 Cats Pictures and Core Animation. It has been amazing. As I previously said, there is no film that has received such a huge income response from me in the past. This has been extraordinary. Most of those who provided the feedback are interested in Nick’s character in the movie and how Nick was portrayed. They said it was indeed a very, very touching step.
You know I am a dreamer, to begin with, and am really hopeful that it does get the recognition it deserves in the Anglo market and lets the UK realize its true potential because I genuinely believe it can and will resonate with the American audiences. It’s a real-life story. It isn’t a made-up storyline, where one thinks about their key takeaway and sells it to the world. It isn’t what it is supposed to be about. It’s about the message of the story and that is the main differentiating factor. After I went back to America, I showed it to my friends around and then told them the story they were very emotionally touched by what they had seen. Therefore, I believe we could end up getting something from that side.
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