Animals (Animales)

An apartment building where everyone knows everyone else’s business, stories grow bigger in the hallways, and life is lived out loud. A neighborhood comedy where chaos is simply part of community life.

Animals is a graphic novel that plunges readers into the life of an apartment building where nothing is quite what it seems and where dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, and even a gerbil become the true drivers of the story. Here, pets are far more than charming companions: they uncover secrets, expose conflicts, spark friendships, and ignite a series of delightfully absurd situations.

The story begins with the arrival of Felipe, a curious young boy who moves into the building with his parents, Roberto and María. He quickly befriends Mateo and Martín, owners of a turtle named Anacleta, and soon discovers that every resident has both their own beloved animal and their own personal drama. There is Mario and Suzana, a couple on the verge of separation whose dog, Patán, starts barking uncontrollably whenever Beethoven is played. Then there is Andrés from the seventh floor, convinced that every problem in the building stems from romantic disputes—until the children uncover the truth.

Felipe dreams of having a pet of his own, but his parents remain reluctant. Eventually, he is given Nirvana, a rock-star gerbil with an unfortunately short lifespan. When the animal dies, a frantic effort is launched to replace it before Felipe returns home from school. The substitute gerbil soon vanishes under mysterious circumstances and becomes a legend within the building, thanks largely to Roberto’s increasingly extravagant stories.

Meanwhile, the building’s residents provide no shortage of gossip and intrigue. The neighbors regularly gather for coffee-fueled meetings where rumors circulate more freely than refreshments. Through these encounters, we meet Socorro, a devoted cat lover with a flair for dramatic observations, and Juliana, whose life resembles a sentimental soap opera. Then there is Doña Silvia, an elderly woman who appears to spend her days conversing with her deceased sister. No one dares investigate further—only to eventually discover that her mysterious conversations are actually with her parrot.

Elsewhere, Iris, a young athlete who has fled her family’s expectations, receives melancholy messages from her mother on her answering machine but refuses to return to the life she left behind. Dahiana struggles with a depressed rabbit that unexpectedly becomes the center of a massive rabbit baby boom. And the building’s children, always searching for adventure, become convinced that Octavio, the mysterious resident of the eighth floor, is some kind of villain—only to discover that he is simply an entomologist with an impressive collection of butterflies and beetles.

The result is a warm, eccentric, and endlessly entertaining community where misunderstandings, surprises, and everyday chaos coexist with friendship, solidarity, and affection.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Rodolfo Santullo is a Uruguayan journalist, writer, comic-book author, and television and film screenwriter whose works have been published in countries including Argentina, Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Spain, Germany, and China. Marcos Vergara is a graphic designer, librarian, and comic-book artist.

Animals is a slice-of-life graphic novel that shifts in tone from chapter to chapter, moving effortlessly between comedy, mystery, and even touches of horror. Through its ensemble cast and interconnected stories, it creates a vivid portrait of community life, populated by memorable and eccentric characters. Its episodic structure and colorful neighborhood setting make it ideally suited for adaptation as a feel-good ensemble comedy, somewhere between Wild Tales and Aquí no hay quien viva or La que se avecina.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series – Miniseries – Film – TV Movie

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.