Legend Quest (known as Leyendas in Latin America) is an animated horror-comedy film franchise created by Ricardo Arnaiz and produced by Mexican animation studio Ánima Estudios. It is loosely based on The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame. It consists of six films, a digital television series, and a mobile game. It centers on Leo San Juan, a heroic preteen boy who can communicate with ghosts and monsters; Teodora, a sassy preteen ghost girl with a know-it-all personality; Don Andrés, an amicable but loony old knight; Alebrije, a mild-mannered mythological creature; and Finado and Moribunda, two silent calavera children. Set in the early nineteenth century, each of the films is based upon a different Mexican legend.
The franchise began in 2007 with the release of The Legend of La Nahuala, directed by creator Ricardo Arnaiz and produced by Soco Aguilar and Ricardo Arnaiz, Nahuala Producciones Cinematograficas S.de R.L. de C.V., and Puebla-based Animex Producciones. The film was later followed by The Legend of La Llorona in 2011, which was instead produced by Ánima Estudios due to the box office failure of the film Nikté. The Legend of the Guanajuato Mummies in 2014, The Legend of the Chupacabra in 2016, The Legend of the Black Charro in 2018, and Legend Quest: The Origin in 2022, with a seventh film, La leyenda de los Chaneques, releasing in 2023. The franchise has also been adted into a Netflix original series, simply titled Legend Quest.
It is one of the few film franchises in Mexico, which is a rare instance within the country's domestic film industry. As such, the franchise has become widely popular within the country and often achieves successful box-office numbers, with Black Charro currently being the highest-grossing film.
Films
The Legend of La Nahuala (2007)
The first film, The Legend of La Nahuala, was released on 1 November 2007 in Mexico with 350 copies, directed by Ricardo Arnaiz and produced by Soco Aguilar and Ricardo Arnaiz, Nahuala Producciones Cinematograficas S.de R.L. de C.V., and Animex Producciones. The film performed well at the Mexican box-office, grossing a total of $42.2 million pesos (US$4.03 million), which was one of the highest-grossing Mexican films at the time. Based on the Nagual legend mythology and receiving the support of the state of Puebla, the film was written by Omar Mustre and Antonio Garci, and featured the voices of famous Mexican actors, including Andrés Bustamante, Jesús Ochoa, Rafael Inclán, Martha Higareda, Manuel 'Loco' Valdés, and Pierre Angelo. Set in 1807 in the city of Puebla de Los Angeles, the film centers on Leo San Juan, a cowardly 9-year-old boy. He summons the courage to rescue his older brother, Nando, from an abandoned house possessed by an evil witch known as the 'Nahuala', with the aid of his new ghost friends. The success of the film launched a franchise, the license to which Arnaiz gave to Ánima Estudios.
The Legend of La Llorona (2011)
A sequel, The Legend of La Llorona, based on the La Llorona ("The Weeping Woman") legend, was released on 21 October 2011 with 225 to 300 copies. Unlike its predecessor, it was produced by Ánima Estudios and directed and co-written by Alberto Rodríguez, who, along with the studio, took over the production of further films. The film also uses flash animation, as well as its successors (excluding Chupacabra; see below). The film was written by Ricardo Arnaiz, the predecessor's director, Jesús Guzmán, and Omar Mustre, who also wrote the preceding film. Some of the previous film's voice cast reprised their roles, while some actors, such as Andrés Bustamante, were replaced by new voice actors. The film picks up where Nahuala ended and follows the new adventures of Leo San Juan and his gang, Don Andrés, Alebrije, Teodora, Finado and Moribunda. Taking place in ancient Xochimilco, Leo falls out of the crew's ship and meets a young village girl, named Kika, who is on her journey to find her lost brother, Beto. Leo and Kika encounter the 'Llorona', while the rest of his gang end up in the La Isla de las Muñecas ('The island of the dolls'). The film did not receive support from any Mexican state. It was another box-office success, earning $8 million pesos on its opening weekend, and grossing a total of $55.4 million pesos (US$2.9 million), performing better than its predecessor.
The Legend of the Guanajuato Mummies (2014)