Synopsis: A frightened young boy has to face his fears when his brother is stolen by a witch.

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Note: Though other movies in the Leyenda series have English versions, this movie is available only in Spanish.

Calamity Brains:

La leyenda de la Nahuala is an animated horror movie for kids. It doesn’t have much to offer for adults, but the old-style animation, vibrant characters, and slapstick humor mean it’s a strong choice for the younger crowd.

The story takes place on Día de Muertos (the Day of the Dead) in 1807. Nando torments his younger brother Leo with stories of a local witch, La Nahuala, and sends Leo into a fear spiral. Though everyone tries to reassure Leo that the stories aren’t true, Leo finds out the hard way that they are when Nando is kidnapped. With the help of Friar Godofrello (Germán Robles), friendly ghost Xóchitl (Martha Higareda), and a host of other colorful characters, Leo faces his fear to save his brother.

This flick is only the sixth animated feature film to come from Mexico, and it was popular enough that it spawned a franchise of Leyenda movies. All of the movies in the franchise are notable in that they’re actually meant to frighten and titillate younger audiences – but in a safe way. Since most “children’s horror” type movies in the U.S. are generally only set on Halloween and don’t have much scary to them, it’s nice to see a kid’s flick with actual danger. Still, they aren’t quite engaging enough for adults. The Leyenda movies, including this one, are best left for kid’s Halloween parties or times when parental viewers can safely leave the room.

Calamity Brains’ Rating: B-
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