As the trailer for Netflix’s upcoming ‘Chupa’ movie goes viral around the world, many fans are curious as to what its meaning is.
The constant conveyor belt of new content on Netflix means that there is always a new show or movie coming over the horizon.
This week, Netflix unveiled their next major movie production; Chupa, an ET-esque story of how a young boy befriends a mythical creature in the Mexican wilderness.
Here is everything that you need to know about Chupa, including the release date, cast, and meaning behind the story.
Unfortunate ‘Chupa’ double-meaning trolled online
Generally, the term ‘Chupa’ is Spanish for ‘To suck’ and regarding Netflix’s new movie, is short for Chupacabra; the name of a mythological monster in folktales from central and southern parts of the Americas.
Hilariously or unfortunately, viewers on social media are now pointing out that the shortening of the title to just ‘Chupa’ (minus the R) infers a rather different meaning, as this is a term commonly used for a certain NSFW act – no prizes for guessing what that could be.
The name Chupacabra means ‘Goat-sucker’ (‘Chupar’ meaning suck, and ‘Cabras’ meaning goats) and comes from the urban legend that the creature would attack livestock and drink their blood like a vampire.
Whilst there is no genuine evidence for the creature’s existence, the first reports originated in 1975 after a number of livestock were reportedly killed and seemingly drained of their blood in the Puerto Rican town of Moca.
In 1995, the legend of the creature would enter the mainstream news when eight sheep were reportedly found with puncture wounds and drained of their blood in Canovanas; comedian Silverio Perez would coin the name Chupacabra whilst reporting on the incident.
Early ‘eye witness accounts’ claimed that the Chupacabra’s appearance was similar to a large reptile with leathery skin and barbs forming down its spine; however, later reports described the creature as more akin to a wild dog with a spinal ridge and pronounced eyes – similar to the design in ‘Chupa’.
Director Jonas Cuaron noted that “Our goal was to create an incredibly cute creature based on a terrifying legend. The mythical creature was described as a hairless dog with wings and sharp teeth [but our] Chupa is furry and incredibly cute.”
Weird stuff I learned today – the first recorded Chupacabra sighting only dates back to 1995 #amwriting pic.twitter.com/FOQWNBkMk1
— Benedict Patrick (@benedictpaddy) January 18, 2017
Chupa: Netflix release date and main cast confirmed
The upcoming Chupa movie is scheduled to release via Netflix on Friday, April 7.
The film will tell the story of a shy 13-year-old boy called Alex, who travels to Mexico to meet his extended family; namely his grandfather, a former Lucha Libre champion, and his two energetic cousins, Memo and Luna.
“But just as Alex begins to get his bearings, he discovers a mythical creature living under his grandfather’s shed: a young chupacabra cub, which he recognizes from stories of the feared, full-grown chupacabra, fabled to feed on farmers’ livestock. Alex soon learns that his new friend “Chupa” has a secret history with his family, and that dogged, dangerous scientist Richard Quinn is hunting the misunderstood creature to try and harness his powers.”
Alex takes it upon himself to keep Chupa safe, but this new adventure will see his family relationship pushed to the very brink; can they team up to save this creature, or are some skeletons better left in the closet?
- Evan Whitten as Alex
- Demián Bichir as Grandad Chava
- Ashley Ciarra as Luna
- Nickolas Verdugo as Memo
- Christian Slater as Richard Quinn
- Julio Cesar Cedillo as Dr Juan Carlos Ortega
“I’ve always been a huge fan of E.T. and believe that stories like that are so powerful because they play on the idea of kids being misunderstood by adults. Chupa might be a monster but he’s the only one that truly understands what Alex is going through. The bond between a boy and a creature is so pure, like with a pet, it transcends language.” – Director Jonas Cuaron
Chupa has a runtime of approximately one hour and 35 minutes.
A sneak peek of Chupa, a baby chupacabra and his new friends.
From director Jonás Cuarón and producer Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire) comes a family adventure of a lifetime. The film Chupa premieres April 7, only on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/jvfZSF8nXY
— Con Todo (@contodonetflix) March 14, 2023
By Tom Llewellyn – tom.llewellyn@grv.media
The post Fans warn not to Google Netflix’s new Chupa movie title for fear of double-meaning appeared first on ForeverGeek.
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