With diversity the word Hollywood has been having trouble handling, any and all attempts to offer movies and TV shows telling stories from the point of view of people of color and women is welcome. However, one has to wonder about Warner Bros. launching a movie based around a character that reduces Mexicans to a bunch of queasy stereotypes.
THR reports that the studio is developing a full length animated movie around Speedy Gonzales. The character, known for his catchphrase "¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!" has not aged well, and frankly, was never really the best Looney Tunes ever had to offer. However, the character has courted enough controversy over the years that when WB released the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection" DVD boxsets, they came with this disclaimer:
The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were false then and are still false today. While the following does not represent the WB view of society, these cartoons are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as to claim these prejudices never existed.
Anyway, they are really going to have do some work on Speedy Gonzales to make sure he’s not just a series of stereotypical quirks. But it’s not the first time WB has tried to make a movie round the character. Years ago, a live action/CGI project was in development with George Lopez attached to voice the title character. That never got off the ground, but this time around, Mexican actor and filmmaker Eugenio Derbez will voice the character.
