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Sofia Alexander

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Sofia Alexander
Born
Sofia Eugenia Alexander

Quintana Roo, Mexico
Occupation(s)Animator, writer, storyboard artist, voice actress
Years active2016–present
Known forOnyx Equinox
Infinity Train
Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters
Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus
The Powerpuff Girls
Spouse
Anna Lencioni
​
(m. 2019)​

Sofia Eugenia Alexander is a Mexican animator, storyboard artist and voice actress known for her work as the executive producer and creator of the show Onyx Equinox and her storyboarding for Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, Infinity Train and The Powerpuff Girls reboot.[1][2][3]

Early life

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Alexander was born in Quintana Roo, Mexico.[4] She grew up around archeological sites such as temples from the Mayan civilization.[5] Her grandfather was proud of their indigenous culture and saw it as something important to teach Alexander, so he often told her stories and made sure she visited archeological sites such as the temple Uxmal in Mexico.[1][2][6] While growing up in Mexico, Alexander had access to a lot of anime as it aired on television and watched shows such as Dexter's Laboratory, Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Mikan Enikki, Rurouni Kenshin, and Wolf's Rain, as did Saint Seiya, and Cardcaptor Sakura, the latter which inspired her to draw. She later said that while she was discouraged from drawing art influenced by anime, she was determined to have it influence Onyx Equinox, with the anime aesthetic appealing to her.[7][8]

Career

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Early work

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Alexander worked as a storyboard revisionist for 28 episodes of The Powerpuff Girls reboot series, which aired on 2016 from to 2019.[9] She also was a writer for episode "Splitsville".[10] This job was how she began working in the animation industry, as a freelancer.[3][11] Following this, she worked as a storyboard artist for Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters (2017–2018), a Netflix series.[11] She was a storyboard artist on nine episodes and storyboard revisionist for five episodes. Alexander later said that while her work on The Powerpuff Girls was helpful for storyboarding, she had to learn to become a showrunner on the job.[5]

Onyx Equinox

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Alexander is best known for her series, Onyx Equinox. Prior to its release, she described it as an "adult story" in terms of themes and action, with Izel forced to "save a world he doesn’t believe he has a place in," facing darkness in "the world and within himself."[12] She specifically emphasized specific colors in the show, with pink and turquoise representing historical symbolism in Mesoamerica Mexico.[13] She later revealed that she began the series as a comic strip during college, which featured a few of the show's characters, and was inspired by the Lord of the Rings, The Legend of Zelda, and Aliens, wanting something similar in Mesoamerican mythology.[13][14]

She began developing the story and its cast of characters in 2007, then developed a pitch for the series in 2011, but took her years of pitching it to companies such as Frederator, Netflix, and Crunchyroll, before it was picked up.[15][5][4] Marisa Balkus of Crunchyroll, the Executive Producer in charge of original development of the streaming service, approved the show, after Alexander pitched it in early 2018, arguing that Mesoamerican Mexican culture isn't often portrayed on television and would be interesting to portray in an anime story medium.[16] Writing on the series began in October 2018.[5]

The series premiered on Crunchyroll in October 2020. Alexander served as the creator, illustrator, and executive producer of Onyx Equinox.[15] She also voiced the character K'i'ik, the weapon which "grows stronger once it tastes blood."[17] Alexander described the series having a touch of anime combined with "truly Mesoamerican characters" and stated that the show was the result of researching ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica. She also said the series allowed to see the beauty in her own culture and heritage and said that she had the chance to be mentored by Japanese animator Kuni Tomita who also served as supervising director, with Tomita guiding her in being the head of the show. She characterized Tomita as an "animation mom" and an "empowering and incredible force" while noting that Tomita warned her against animating detailed designs of gods, saying animators will hate her for making them do it, and she justified it by saying it is important culturally.[7] Alexander has also provided her voice for characters such as Nelli, and Meque,[18] was a show writer, and a storyboarder for the episode "The Bet."

Alexander, in a November 2020 interview with CBR shared her challenge with pitching the series and wanting to do it with "dignity and respect towards Mexico and Indigenous Mexicans" and said that Crunchyroll had been "wonderful to the project." She called the series a translation between her experiences "into the writer's room and into animation." She also called the series a "Mexican project," said she found many of the cast and crew from her personal collections and social media, but said that the show is not an anime, from her perspective, and called Crunchyroll a "great platform" to tell the show's story.[2] However, in August 2020, Alexander had said that creators of animation do not have a say in the marketing of their shows.[19] In other interviews, Alexander described the show as "a love letter to Mexico and to other Mexicans," argued that blood is a main part of the story but not something to fear, said that the show tries to introduce people to Mesoamerican myths.[6][9] Alexander also said that she hoped that fans of Western animation would "see the appeal of action-drama animation for adults"[20] and stated that the series had help from an archaeologist/anthropologist and extensive research to ensure certain aspects of the show's world are inspired by actual history.[5][21]

In December 2020, Alexander was nominated at Animation Magazine's 2020 Hall of Fame Awards and won The New Voice of the Year Award for her work on Onyx Equinox.[22]

In January 2021, Alexander floated the possibility of a second season of Onyx Equinox.[23]

On November 5, 2023, Alexander announced that the series had been cancelled, due to "various reasons out of [her] control".[24]

Other work

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Alexander worked as a storyboarder on another animated series, Infinity Train, which aired 2019 to 2020.[25] She storyboarded five episodes.[a] She also worked as a concept artist for Disney Imagineering[25][11] and their division of theme park design.[1] In 2019 she was a storyboarder for the film Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus.[3][11] She described working with the crew of Infinity Train as a full-time storyboard artist as a "pleasure" and said that story of the animated series is "beautiful"[26] while saying her experience storyboarding on the show helped her with boarding for Onyx Equinox.[5]

In August 2020, Alexander appeared at a panel about women in animation, alongside Rebecca Sugar and Julia Pott, among other creatives, at the Pixelatl Festival in Mexico.[27]

In October 2020, Alexander signed a petition calling for better Latinx representation in Hollywood.[28]

In March 2021, she appeared at a virtual event for South by Southwest on "animating resilience." She also was noted as serving as a mentor for the Women in Animation's Storyboard Workshop in 2019, the Native American TV Writer's Lab in 2020, and attending various workshops so she can promote and teach "the new generation of Native American artists."[25]

In June 2021, she appeared on a panel at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on the influence of anime on creators, with Alexis Hunot, the directors of Wolfwalkers (Tomm Moore) and The Red Turtle (Michael Dudok de Wit), executive producer of We Bare Bears (Manny Hernandez) and a live-action directing team (Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani). At the panel, Alexander talked about how the anime shows she watched when she was younger influenced Onyx Equinox.[7][8]

In September 2021, Alexander announced that she'll be working with Marvel Studios on an unspecified project, with some speculating it may be the second season of What If...?. The project was revealed to be X-Men 97.[29][30][31] [32] She also was a storyboarder for several episodes of the Crunchyroll series, High Guardian Spice which premiered in October 2021.[b]

In November 2021, Alexander appeared at a panel discussion about Indigenous women in animation at LA Skins Fest.[33][30] Sofia Alexander has been one of the main supporters of the Disney Channel series Primos after the controversy.[34]

In September 2023, Alexander announced that she joined the staff for the revival of Phineas And Ferb at Disney Television Animation.[35] In March 2024, Alexander mentioned that she was developing a new project at Disney TVA.[36]

Personal life

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Alexander is married to Anna Lencioni,[37] an animator and artist,[38][39] and worked on Onyx Equinox.[40] Lencioni went to the same college as Alexander, the Savannah College of Art and Design,[41] Both Alexander and Lencioni have been together for over ten years and Lencioni was crucial in getting Alexander to pitch Onyx Equinox to Crunchyroll.[26] Alexander has two brothers and her entire family lives in Mexico.[26] She currently lives in the United States and her birthday is June 4.[4][42]

Filmography

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Film

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Title Year Credited as Role Notes
Director Writer Producer Animation/Art Other
Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus 2019 No No No No Yes N/A Storyboard artist[3]

Animated series

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Title Year Credited as Voice role Notes
Writer Executive Producer Director Animation/Art
The Powerpuff Girls 2016 Yes No No Yes N/A Storyboard revisionist[9]
Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters 2017-2018 No No No Yes N/A Storyboard artist[3]
Infinity Train 2019-2020 No No No Yes N/A Storyboarder[9]
Onyx Equinox 2020 Yes Yes No Yes Meque / Nelli / K'i'ik[17][18] Also creator and storyboarder[15][12]
High Guardian Spice 2021 No No No Yes N/A Storyboard artist[31]
X-Men 97 2024 No No No Yes N/A [31][32]
Phineas And Ferb TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA N/A [43]

Notes

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  1. ^ Specifically "The Map Car", "The Past Car", "The Unfinished Car", "The Crystal Car" and "The Grid Car"
  2. ^ Specifically "The Cave of Vinca", "Crushing Obstacles", "Past Present" and "Transformations"

References

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  1. ^ a b c "ENTREVISTA: Sofía Alexander comparte los secretos de Onyx Equinox". Cine PREMIERE (in Spanish). November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Halls, Kiera (November 29, 2020). "Onyx Equinox Creator Sofia Alexander Talks Representation, On- & Off-Screen". CBR. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Sofia Alexander". Pixelatl Festival. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "'Onyx Equinox', la historia animada con un niño indígena como protagonista" ['Onyx Equinox', the animated story with an indigenous boy as the protagonist]. El Pais (in Spanish). November 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Zahed, Ramin (October 29, 2020). "New Trailer/Q&A: Sofía Alexander Reanimates Mesoamerican Myths in 'Onyx Equinox'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Pulliam-Moore, Charles (November 24, 2021). "Onyx Equinox Creator Sofia Alexander Opens Up About Weaving Mythology Into Reality". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Baron, Rueben (June 23, 2021). "The Makers of Wolfwalkers, We Bare Bears and More Discuss Anime's Global Influence". CBR. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Annecy: Leading Animation Filmmakers Discuss Anime's Influence On Their Work". June 21, 2021. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d Frye, Brendan (December 28, 2020). "Sofia Alexander Brings South American Myth to new Series Onyx Equinox". CG Magazine. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  10. ^ Perkins, Chris (September 8, 2020). "VCRX: Shenmue Anime Announced, Onyx Equinox and More". Animation for Adults. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d "A Celebration of Excellence: Animation Magazine's 2020 Awards". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Collins, Hannah (October 29, 2020). "Onyx Equinox: The Crunchyroll Anime Drops 'Dark,' Bloody Trailer for Halloween". CBR. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Onyx Equinox: Interview with creator Sofia Alexander". SciFiNow. December 15, 2020. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  14. ^ Pearce, Steven (January 20, 2021). "Onyx Equinox". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c Collins, Jason (October 4, 2020). "Onyx Equinox: Trailer, Plot, Release Date & News to Know". CBR. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021.
  16. ^ Cao, Caroline (November 21, 2020). "Crunchyroll's violent, new epic Onyx Equinox brings Mesoamerican culture to animation". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Jennings, Collier (September 5, 2020). "Crunchyroll Announces Cast, Premiere Date for Onyx Equinox". CBR. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Hillenberg, Josh (September 4, 2020). "Crunchyroll Expo: ONYX EQUINOX lands a new trailer, release date, and full casting". Comics Beat. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021.
  19. ^ May, Callum (June 18, 2021). "Crunchyroll Originals Have Been a Disaster". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  20. ^ Prentice, Robert (November 20, 2020). ""Onyx Equinox" Premieres Saturday on Crunchyroll". Three If By Space. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  21. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (December 21, 2020). "Onyx Equinox changes what you think of Aztec mythology and Mesoamerican culture by making it anime". SYFY. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  22. ^ Zahed, Ramin (December 7, 2020). "Watch the Animation Magazine 2020 Hall of Fame Awards". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  23. ^ Frye, Patrick (January 19, 2021). "Onyx Equinox Season 2 release date on Crunchyroll: Creator Sofia Alexander talks second season". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  24. ^ Alexander, Sofia [@sofiaealexander] (November 5, 2023). "#onyxequinox #onyxequinoxs2 #animacionmexicana" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ a b c "Sofia Alexander". SXSW Online. SXSW. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  26. ^ a b c Locksley, Ross (November 20, 2020). "Interview with Sofia Alexander". UK Anime Network. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  27. ^ Dudok De Wit, Alex (August 7, 2020). "Rebecca Sugar, Julia Pott, Sofía Alexander Lead Focus On Women In Animation At Pixelatl 2020". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021.
  28. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (October 15, 2020). "Latinx Creatives Call for More and Better Representation in Open Letter to Hollywood". Variety. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  29. ^ Parks, Adam (September 15, 2021). "Onyx Equinox Creator Joins Marvel Studios for Mystery Project". CBR. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  30. ^ a b "Native American Women in Animation". LA Skins Fest. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  31. ^ a b c "Yay! My first ep as a guest board artist! Hope you guys like it~ I'll post some of the boards I'll manage to dig out, later!".
  32. ^ a b "The cemetery was part of my sequence for this episode 💖 #XMen97".
  33. ^ "LA SKINS FEST Presents: A Panel Discussion about Native American Women in Animation". University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. University of Southern California. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  34. ^ "Estoy bien cansada por que acabo de salir de un vuelo de 8hr+ y me toca otro de 5hrs en 10 minutos. Pero tenía que decir esto. #primos #onyxequinox".
  35. ^ "I'm doing something a wee different from my usual 😉 Joined the platypus team". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  36. ^ "a thing happened 👀".
  37. ^ Alexander, Sofia [@sofiaealexander] (September 25, 2021). "This is going to be amazing! My incredibly talented wife @banannerbread" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ Baron, Rueben (August 10, 2019). "Cartoon Fandom Has a Puritanism Problem". CBR. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  39. ^ "IDW Publishing's August 2018 Solicitations". CBR. May 23, 2018. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  40. ^ Luster, Joseph (January 9, 2021). "Supplement Your Onyx Equinox Binge with Latest Companion Podcast". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  41. ^ Alexander, Sofia [@sofiaealexander] (January 16, 2021). "The only one who helped me in any way was a professor whose sister lived in LA and she knew a director. SCAD had nothing to do with my career" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Alexander, Sofia [@sofiaealexander] (June 4, 2021). "heyheyheyyy c'maahn I'm a little gal, I'm just a little gaaal, noo, it's also my birthday, I'm a little birthday gaal!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ "I'm doing something a wee different from my usual 😉 Joined the platypus team". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-09-28.
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