Writer/director Jorge Gutierrez (The Book of Life) has just signed on to executive produce a new teen animated series called Entre 2 Mundos that’s in the works at Ad Astra Media and Nuestro Stories.

This ambitious 2D anime-style series (13 x 22 minutes) and companion manga is about three besties who are transported to a mash-up world based on ancient Mesoamerica (a region spanning central and southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and parts of Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) and new Latine culture. As the kids try to find a way back home, they journey to all four corners of this strange universe and learn plenty about themselves along the way. 

The series will be multilingual, with characters speaking English, Spanish and Indigenous languages that spotlight a variety of dialects. And a deal is already in place with LA-based linear network Latino Alternative TV to air Entre 2 Mundos when it comes out of post-production. 

Marc Andrew Sanchez is the creator, writer and director behind this project, which is billed as the first anime series to prominently draw on Mayan, Aztec, Incan and Taino folklore, along with South American, Afro Caribbean and Central American cultures.

Gutierrez, who is Mexican and has helped pave the way for more diverse storytelling in animation, believes that Entre 2 Mundos is poised to have “a deep and profound cultural impact”.

The celebrated animator has juggled screenwriting, directing and voice acting roles on projects such as Nickelodeon’s El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (2007) and feature film Guardians of Oz (2015). He also created Netflix miniseries Maya and the Three (2021), which went on to win four Emmys and two Annie Awards.

Ad Astra specializes in STEAM-based content for all ages, offering animation, VR, storyboarding, consulting and other services. Based in Virginia, it has previously collaborated with partners such as Netflix, PBS KIDS Virginia, Mattel and NASA. And Miami’s Nuestro Stories is a media brand dedicated to spotlighting Latine heritage, history and origins.