Animator Louise Bagnall ventures into feature filmmaking with “Julián,” an animated adaptation of Jessica Love’s children’s book “Julián Is a Mermaid.” The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and follows a young boy spending his summer in Brooklyn with his grandmother while exploring his Dominican heritage and pursuing his dream of becoming a mermaid.
The story balances childhood wonder with deeper emotional themes, as the grandmother confronts long-suppressed memories of her past life before immigrating to the United States. Bagnall, who previously earned an Oscar nomination for the animated short “Late Afternoon,” collaborated with screenwriter Juliany Taveres and co-director Guillaume Lorin to add layers of authenticity to the narrative. Their combined perspectives—Tavares’ Brooklyn roots and Lorin’s Caribbean upbringing—enriched the film’s cultural specificity and emotional resonance.
The visual approach deliberately avoids perfection, incorporating weathered elements like cracked walls and street weeds to create a believable yet beautiful world. Rather than relying solely on digital techniques, the production maintains hand-drawn animation and paper-based backgrounds, echoing the tools a child might use. This artistic choice reinforces the film’s themes about imperfection and self-acceptance while capturing the magical realism of a young imagination transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary adventures.
Zoe Saldaña serves as an executive producer on the project, which is currently seeking distribution at TIFF.
Originally reported by Variety →
About the Author
