Twenty years ago, Brazilian animator Humberto Avelar and his team created the series Juro Que Vi (I Swear I Saw It), which brings to life several well-known characters from Brazilian folklore, and its audience is still growing on YouTube. The series includes animations of The Boto, an Amazon river dolphin who turns into a handsome young man at night; Saci, a one-legged prankster; and The Curupira, a fiery-haired demon whose feet are turned backward.
The series was intended for public schools in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and its reach expanded through Brazilian film festivals, public television, and the Internet. Avelar says, “The result is that many people in Brazil ended up having contact with the project, and nowadays I receive many messages from adults who saw the films as children through school or on TV who have a fond memory of the characters.”
Avelar continues, “Currently, the films are widely used in school environments throughout Brazil. Our design of Curupira has influenced the image that young people have of this character. After all, there is no definitive Curupira. He is just a legend that is portrayed in different ways depending on the region.” Avelar’s drawing has become a standard image of Curupira online and even in Cosplay contests.
To make Juro Que Vi, Avelar and his team studied the work of folklorist Câmara Cascudo, who recorded stories from the oral tradition in various regions of Brazil. In Avelar’s animations of some of the more well-known characters from the Brazilian oral tradition, he drew artistic influence from Disney films, Hanna Barbera and Looney Toons cartoons, and the Speed Racer manga series.
Through the media of animation and the Internet, the fascinating characters of Juro Que Vi, once limited to regional oral traditions in Brazil, now reach a worldwide audience.
Thanks to Roberto Gasperis for helping make this post possible!
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