Netflix will Adapt the Beloved Argentinean comic strip character ‘Mafalda’

Oscar winner Juan José Campanella is lined up as showrunner, director and producer of this adaptation of a 60-year-old IP known for its socially conscious themes.

The comic book was created by the Argentine cartoonist Quino and was published from 1964 to 1973. The comic follows a six-year-old girl who reflects Argentina’s middle class and progressive youth with concerns about humanity and world peace.

The comic will be adapted by the Argentine filmmaker Juan Jose Campanella, known for his live-action film El secreto de sus ojos, which won him an Oscar in 2010. The project on Mafalda is part of Netflix’s Made in Argentina slate, which features various films and TV shows from the region.

Mundoloco CGI in Buenos Aires, a shingle belonging to filmmakers Juan José Campanella and Gastón Gorali, will produce the Malfada adaptation based on the work of late cartoonist Quino. His comic strip kicked off in 1964, offering humorous reflections on childhood, humanity and the state of the world. It was published in newspapers/books around the world and connected with fans of all ages, thanks to its clever satire and deeper social commentary—in the same vein as Charles Schulz’s Peanuts strip.

In a statement to Variety, Campanella said, “Mafalda and her friends not only made me laugh a lot, but from time to time, they sent me to the dictionary. And each new word I learned came with the reward of a new laugh. It’s our obligation to preserve the humour, timing, irony and observations of Quino. We know that we won’t be able to elevate Mafalda because she cannot be higher. But we dream that those of us who have been devoted to her since the first hour can share her with our children, and even if there are things reserved only for adults, we can all laugh out loud as a family, and why not, go to the dictionary from time to time.”

This isn’t the first time Mafalda has been adapted for the screen. The character was featured on Argentinian television in a series of 2D-animated shorts that aired in the ’70s; Cuban filmmaker Juan Padrón directed a collection of 104 shorts that were compiled into a 1993 Mafalda feature; and more recently, the IP was the subject of a Disney+ documentary called Releyendo Mafalda, which premiered on the streamer last September.