CARLOS LÓPEZ ESTRADA
Raya and the Last Dragon
MUSIC videos— some including animation — kickstarted Mexican-born director López Estrada’s now storied and multi-faceted path into filmmaking. Two wellreceived live-action features, both with spoken word poetry as part of their DNA — “Blindspotting” and “Summertime” — cemented him as a major voice in independent cinema and a Sundance Film Festival favorite.
Although working in animation was something he had often fantasized about, López Estrada didn’t expect to realize that dream. “Never in a million years could I imagine that I would work at a studio that means so much to me as Disney so early in my career,” he said. And when he was offered to co-direct “Raya and the Last Dragon” with veteran Don Hall, the transition into a new way of working — with hundreds of people involved — was far from smooth.
“Becoming used to the work culture at a place so established and to silence the imposter syndrome in my head was the real challenge for me. But having people like Don and [Disney Animation head] Jennifer Lee, who put their trust in me, made me understand I’m here for a reason, that my voice in the studio mattered and that I bring a unique perspective,” he said. “Throughout the process of making ‘Raya,’ I was able to step into my role and fully embrace it.”
López Estrada didn’t know it when he was hired at Walt Disney Animation Studios, but he was the first director of color behind an animated feature at the studio in its almost hundred-year history. And even with that small but significant step, he worries that conversations about inclusion may fail to bring long-lasting change.
“The one thing that worries me is the sustainability of it. I really hope that this doesn’t just become an era where people reacted to what’s going on around us culturally and socially. Instead, hopefully it becomes clear that this is the way we should be thinking about stories and about creators,” he noted. “This should be the new standard for animation. It’s about making sure this generates a systematic change and not just a temporary thing.”
As part of his efforts to be a resource and mentor, López Estrada regularly engages with nonprofits such as the National Assn. of Latino Independent Producers, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, the Ghetto Film School and Get Lit-Words Ignite (where he met the poets who star in “Summertime”).
Comfortable now as a Disney storyteller, with more projects in the pipeline, López Estrada fondly recalls the studio’s classic that changed everything for him.
“‘Pinocchio’ was the first one I saw, and I just became completely obsessed with the medium. To this day, if I go back to Mexico City, there’s a lot of people who worked with my mom that still call me ‘Pinoto,’ because as a kid I couldn’t correctly pronounce ‘Pinocchio,’ or ‘Pinocho’ in Spanish. I watched that movie so much that it just marked my identity.”
Unable to promote “Raya” in person because of COVID-19 concerns and guidelines, the director missed out on interacting with audiences, yet social media offered a glimpse at the impact a universally minded film can have.
“It’s really hard to understand the reach that these movies have until you make one. We released our movie during the pandemic, so we didn’t get to travel with it. Promotion was mostly through Zoom. But I feel like I understand it. We’ve seen all the response of people from around the world online and it’s been beautifully overwhelming.”
The son of Mexican television producer Carla Estrada, the director has tried to not overthink his first Oscar nomination, a monumental achievement that once seemed farfetched.
He views it as a gift to the person who’s stood by him throughout his creative endeavors since childhood.
“What I’ve enjoyed the most is what it’s meant to my mother. I’ve gotten to experience it through her eyes. Few things must feel more fulfilling than seeing your children be recognized for something they love doing. This has just meant so, so much for her,” he said. “It has validated so much of her work as a single mother. We’ve gone through rough times as a family, and this has just been so meaningful to her.”