8/7/2023 0 Comments Spirit pilot strike![]() She also turned to other members of Native Hollywood to help her navigate this brand-new territory. Then they would never be alone because I would always be here in their corner.” “So my goal was to always have a Native voice in the room at every department level - at least one. “For the majority of these people, this is their first big break, including myself,” she says of Spirit Rangers‘ team. Valencia went on to hire a wave of Native and Indigenous talent, many of whom were relatively new to the industry, had never worked on a major-studio backed production or in animation at all. Who could I pair them with? How can they succeed and get the mentorship they need as well to do a good job,” Valencia says. Her helping me is how I wanted to also help new voices, new Indigenous talent, too. “Being connected with Chris taught me a lot about mentorship. Nee sent her a development offer within days, and the two would work together for a year, expanding the concept into a show Bible, before writing the pilot and selecting SuperProd Animation as the studio. Valencia dusted off that earlier horror concept and retooled it for a preschool audience, with a focus on Indigenous values like morals, community, friendship, family, respect and connectedness. So when the producer, who was in an overall deal with Netflix at the time, asked Valencia over lunch to send her ideas for a show, the Spirit Rangers creator jumped at the chance. Valencia admits that she initially had her “nose in the air” about programming for preschool, but after seeing how Nee was telling stories, she was inspired. But it would be Valencia herself and a two-page pitch for a horror show featuring Indigenous folklore that ultimately put her on the path to Spirit Rangers. Courtesy of NetflixĪlice’s Wonderland Bakery showrunner Chelsea Beyl helped throw Valencia’s name into the mix when the role of script coordinator opened up on the Disney preschool show Vampirina, created by Laughing Wild founder Chris Nee. The show’s impact also trickles into its crew, where more than 100 Indigenous and Native creatives join the Spirit Rangers team in every aspect of the production, from sound and composition to art design and voice acting.Ĭree Summer as DeeDee, Wačíŋyeya Iwáš’aka Yracheta as Kodi Skycedar, Isis Celilo Rogers as Summer Skycedar, Talon Proc Alford as Eddy Skycedar and Kimberly Norris-Guerrero as Mom. Valencia is Hollywood’s first California Native showrunner and, with her debut, has built TV’s first all-Indigenous writer’s room. Through its dedication to authenticity and representation, Spirit Rangers has already left a mark. ![]() So who are the spirit rangers in Australia or in Southeast Asia? They know their land, homes and stories well.” “We’re starting in a California National Park, but there are spirit rangers all over the world protecting their homes. “I just see everybody as these environmental warriors,” Valencia, a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, says. That includes Canada and New Zealand, with Valencia telling THR she often turns to her own writers, cast and crew when expanding the show’s representation of Native identity. But across its two seasons, and now with a third on the way, the series has featured a number of other groups Indigenous to America and other parts of the globe. Once there, the three spirit rangers - a grizzly bear cub, red-tailed hawk and a turtle - use their elemental powers to save the day.ĭebuting in October 2022, the show centers the traditions, beliefs, art, music and more of the family’s American Indigenous tribes, with the express approval of the Chumash and Cowlitz communities. While the adults monitor the park during the day, the siblings solve various problems by activating beaded necklaces that portal them to the magical dimension of Spirit Park. How Dual Roles in 'Queen Charlotte,' 'Tiny Beautiful Things' and More Mirror the Past As Well As the Presentįrom Netflix Animation, Laughing Wild and SuperProd Animation, the series follows Kodi, Summer and Eddy Skycedar, three siblings whose blended Chumash and Cowlitz family work as rangers in the fictional Xus National Park in California. ![]()
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