#El Vulturo

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Look Like You’ll Never Gonna Be Able To Catch Me “Tortilla Flaps” (1958)

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La Familia Gonzales*

*or...The Speedy That Never Was :)

I always get a bit skeptical when an animator colleague gushes to me that they have 'just signed a development deal with...(insert studio/network/company name here)'.

What may sound like a step into the animation big time is basically a studio throwing some loose change at an artist to see what sticks. And even if something does stick, there's no guarantee that anything will move forward. In my short, eventful heyday in the early 2000s I had four: Jive Turkey, Super/Superior Pets, Krypto, Rocquita...oh and the one I blocked, the Mucha Lucha! feature development deal. Okay, FIVE!

Add one more to that, the 'now-you-see-it-now it's gone' LA FAMILIA GONZALES.

Some history. Somehow, WB Animation's go-to network Kids' WB had (mis)managed to lose it's coveted Saturday morning slot and crashed and burned. Not sure how you go from topping the broadcast ratings to being a defunct in less than two years since Mucha Lucha! ceased production, but there you go. It does take a special talent to achieve this.

So after this, WB Animation sought to work exclusively to the one network option open to them, and so collaborated with Cartoon Network on a revamp of Speedy Gonzales.

Apparently a bunch of well known people were brought in to pitch their ideas, but none of them resonated with WB or CN. So I guess in desperation, WB suddenly remembered they knew a couple of artists who actually had produced a latino-inspired show with them previously, and a call to Lili Chin and Eddie Mort was made.

To cut a long rant short, we came up with the idea of Speedy's extended family running a hotel in Mexico. WB loved it. CN loved it, and a deal was made. We got as far as a rough cast, some character descriptions and some episode outlines before a new WB Prez took power and canned everything. And that was my sixth animation development deal!

Here's some cut and paste ideas we were working on...

He’s still the fastest mouse in all of Mexico, and still the friend of everyone’s sister (hey, he’s a good listener), but there is more to Speedy Gonzales.

Every wondered where Speedy is or what he is doing before he is called on to dispose of evil gatos? Well wonder no more. Ahora, presentamos ...

LA FAMILIA GONZALES

Ah, El Baldío Baja a bustling border town host to all manner of mercados, fiestas and mice living life to the fullest. But just beyond, that – a little further, (Stop – not that far – now you have to go back across the border!) are the badlands, where preying gatos, conniving coyotes, opportunistic crows and the self- proclaimed Don Vulturo stake out their turf. Yes, welcome to No Rata del Rambla, a no-mouse’s land on the Mexican border.

But amidst the danger from these unsavory characters stands a oasis for the weary and threatened traveler – La Casa de Gonzales, a hotel run by Speedy’s mama, (which was previously run my her mama, and her mama’s mama’s mama, and…well you get it). A sanctuary and half-way house in the truest sense, La Casa has been a dependable rest stop and comfort zone for years

Protected by a maze of twisted, spiky, cacti and gato-eating plants (cultivated by Speedy’s bruja aunt Mistica) that only Speedy and his family can guide you through – La Casa de Gonzales is a welcome respite. Providing you can make it there.

But if getting to La Casa de Gonzales is a wild ride, wait until you arrive inside. In residence is one of the most diverse and extended families you will find. Meet the Gonzales family and their immediate relatives, the Morales clan. And like Speedy, each member possesses a special talent that makes he or she the…insert talent here…mouse in Mexico! That’s right – La Familia Gonzales is a family of superlatives!

And then there are the guests; all manner of wayward tourists, fugitives, hustlers, and the occasional lost iguana desperate for a hot blanket and a leafy salad. La Casa de Gonzales has them all; from the long term residents, to the random blow-ins – and the mysterious hombre in room seis seis seis, who no one has ever seen, and has been living there before Speedy’s mama, or her mama’s mama, or her…(well, you get it) was running the hotel.

Hmmm…maybe his identity will be revealed at episode 26?

Most of the stories in La Familia Gonzales come from within and are multi layered. They center on each of the family’s different personalities and talents and how they play off and sometimes conflict with one another.

There are also the elements of outside danger and occasional episode-specific hotel guests, which serve as the ‘B’ plot lines to each episode’s familia-centric ‘A’ story.

And there is Speedy’s underlying obligation as defender of the mice of El Baldío Baja; add this to his responsibilities to his family’s business, and his need to be a ‘big brother’ to just about everyone in the hotel, and you have the basis for many diverse situations.

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Cucaracha! “Tortilla Flaps” (1958)

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Random Tunes (1950 - 57)