Showcased work created at Blue Spill

Allison design directed the title sequence and several in episode graphics for Netflix’s Maradona in Mexico.

Directed by Angus MacQueen (Ronachan Films), the series follows football great Maradona as he arrives in Mexico to manage a failing football team.

She came on board during the early stages of cutting, having worked with Angus previously (Legend of Shorty, prod. Simon Chinn) and worked with studio Bluespill to execute the sequence.

Our brief was quite open, with room to explore from a creative viewpoint. Narratively Angus was interested in exploring the concept that Maradona had arrived in Mexico, apparently to save the team he was managing, but really was it to save himself?

Using his (typically eccentric!) character as an inspiration, we worked on conceptualising several creative approaches. Aesthetically we were looking for something bright, eclectic and quite rudimentary, to compliment the essence of the Mexican team he had been brought on to manage. We worked on breaking down Maradona’s life story to key moments, and established a collage stylistic approach inspired by Mexican nichos. It was important it didn’t look too polished, the spirit of the image needed to overshadow technical perfection, so we purposefully allowed seams to show as we highlighted the passion. Our animation technique was fun and light hearted, fast in pace and lively in movement.

Our primary challenge for the sequence was balancing this tongue in cheek approach whilst still being respectful to the subject matter, Maradona himself. We wanted the sequence to be fun but without being derogatory. We worked carefully to choose assets which didn’t perpetuate or over emphasise the parody. For example, the plane he is flying at the end of the sequence was originally a biplane. However once the animation was in place, it felt as though it was edging into that space, so we altered this for a plane which was less comical and allowed the rest of the sequence to carry the energy.

To adhere to the brief, we also wished to explore the full extent of Maradona’s history, including his well known struggles. We explored this in the moment of his downfall, plummeting from angelic heights down to beneath the clouds. After his struggles, we see him journeying joyfully towards Culiacán, with the possibility they are going to save him from himself!

Studio: Blue Spill

Design Director: Allison Brownmoore

Flame Artist: Anthony Brownmoore

Designers: Joe Nowacki, Chris Caswell

Post Production Assistant: Richard Rumble