When designing the mysterious chupacabra at the center of his new film Chupa, Jonás Cuarón knew he couldn’t stay strictly loyal to his mythical source material. “Our goal was to create an incredibly cute creature based on a terrifying legend,” the director tells Tudum. “The mythical creature was described as a hairless dog with wings and sharp teeth. Chupa is furry and incredibly cute.” Considering the emotional bond the tiny creature forms with the film’s protagonist Alex, cute was simply a must. You can see for yourself just how cuddly Cuarón’s creature is in the new trailer from the upcoming family film. And read on to learn even more about Chupa and the chupa. 

Ashley Ciarra as Luna, Demián Bichir as Chava, Evan Whitten as Alex, and Nickolas Verdugo as Memo

Tony Rivetti Jr./Netflix

What is Chupa about?

Chupa follows Alex, a young boy from Kansas City who heads to Mexico to meet his family. While visiting his grandfather Chava’s ranch, he discovers a baby chupacabra, which he dubs Chupa. Soon, Alex and his new furry friend are whisked away on a whirlwind adventure that sees the pair evading scientists who want to use Chupa for their own purposes. 

For Cuarón, the bloodsucking legend of the chupacabra was a jumping-off point for an elemental coming-of-age story. “I was a small kid when the legend started. When the idea came of turning [the myth] on its head and using it to tell a family adventure, I was immediately excited,” he says. “I’ve always been a huge fan of E.T. and believe that stories like that are so powerful because they play on the idea of kids being misunderstood by adults. Chupa might be a monster but he’s the only one that truly understands what Alex is going through. The bond between a boy and a creature is so pure, like with a pet, it transcends language.”
 

Christian Slater as Richard Quinn, a scientist tracking the chupa.

Tony Rivetti Jr./Netflix

What is a chupacabra?

“The chupacabras [were] first seen in the early ’90s in Puerto Rico. After this, there were sightings of the creature all over Latin America,” Cuarón shares about the history of the myth. “It was believed this creature fed on the blood of goats.” While the title character of Chupa isn’t quite as horrifying, Cuarón still aimed to be faithful to the original legend. “We drew inspiration from several animals but also the descriptions of the different chupacabra sightings that were reported in the ’90s. Our goal was to create an incredibly cute creature out of terrifying legend. We knew its wings were its most magical attribute. There are winged mammals (bats), but we’ve never seen an animal with fur and feathers.”

Director Jonás Cuarón filmed Chupa during the pandemic.

Tony Rivetti Jr./Netflix

Who is in the cast of Chupa?

Evan Whitten plays Alex, Demián Bichir is Chava and Christian Slater plays Richard Quinn, the scientist hunting Chupa down. Nickolas Verdugo and Ashley Ciarra are along for the ride as Alex’s cousins, Memo and Luna. “When building Alex’s family, I was looking for an ensemble of characters that would help guide Alex through this journey,” Cuarón says. “Alex is a kid that has gone through a traumatic experience and has retreated into his shell. He lives in the US and is renouncing his heritage. Through this experience, he’ll come to terms with his pain and learn where love comes from.”

Together, Cuarón and his cast helped bring that experience to life. “Evan was shy and reserved but had an emotional range that showed me he could carry such a difficult role,” Cuarón shares. “Demián Bichir is an actor I’ve always admired. He was able to make a character that’s funny, powerful and vulnerable. Ashley has the mature personality the character called for, and Nikolas is more charismatic than the character was on the page.” 

When will Chupa hit Netflix? 

Chupa is coming to Netflix on April 7.

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