The animated movie adaptation of Zsazsa Zaturnnah is coming, but its creators need your help to finish the film.
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When it comes to Filipino superheroes, Zsazsa Zaturnnah’s impact on Filipino pop culture is undeniable. The hero was first introduced in the graphic novel of the same name by Carlo Vergara in 2002. It follows a gay man named Ada who turns into the flamboyant female superhero Zsazsa Zaturnnah after swallowing a stone from space. Since its debut, Zsazsa Zaturnnah has gained a cult following among Filipinos, especially the LGBTQIA+ community, thanks to, among other things, the komik’s bold art style and a relatable story of a person trying to find love while dealing with being a superhero.
Regarded as Asia’s first LGBT superhero, Zsazsa has had a few adaptations, such as a live-action movie in 2006, which starred Zsazsa Padilla as the titular character and BB Gandanghari as Ada, and a long-running stage musical. Now, Zsazsa is entering the animated space with an upcoming animated movie. But first, she, and the movie’s creator Rocketsheep Studios, need your help.
SLAY QUEEN
Recently, Rocketsheep Studio, the indie studio behind underrated gems Saving Sally and Netflix’s Hayop Ka!, dropped a new trailer for the Zsazsa Zaturnnah animated movie and gave a new look into her adventures. Titled Zsazsa Zaturnnah Vs. The Amazonistas of Planet X, the movie follows Ada, a gay hairdresser who lives a seemingly boring life and can’t catch a break when it comes to love.
IMAGE FROM ZSAZSA ZATURNNAH’S KICKSTARTER PAGE
That changes when a rock from outer space lands in Ada’s home. Convinced by his friend to swallow it, Ada transforms into Zsazsa Zaturnnah, a flamboyant female superhero. With his newfound powers, Ada sets out to defend the earth against the fashion-focused Amazonistas of Planet X as they try to take over the planet after their home world suffered under the rule of Male Forms. Among the monsters Zsazsa has to face is a horde of zombies that counts Ada’s homophobic father among its ranks. Things get even more complicated when Ada realizes that his crush only has feelings for his female alter-ego.
FOUR YEARS (AND COUNTING) IN THE MAKING
According to Rocketsheep Studio, the movie will be an 80-minute animated film in English. Local animated movies are a dime a dozen even though Filipino animators have been known to support multiple animated projects from around the world. Rocketsheep is well aware of this, which is why their goals for the movie are to highlight LGBTQIA+ stories and give local animators the proper platform they deserve.
“While our main goal is to tell a funny and heartwarming LGBTQ story, our secondary advocacy is to showcase Filipino animation talent to the world,” the studio shared in a statement. “The Philippines is a go-to nation for animation service work, but sadly, we are not known for ideating and producing animated films. There have been less than a dozen animated feature films in the entire hundred year history of Philippine Cinema. Our team hopes to continue adding to our nation’s animation filmography and, little by little, establish us Filipino animators as not just service providers, but creators, as well.”
IMAGE FROM ZSAZSA ZATURNNAH’S KICKSTARTER PAGE
They’ve been working on the project for over 4 years now and plan on releasing it sometime in 2026. But over the years, the studio has faced hurdles in getting the movie funded and most of the funds they’ve used so far have come from their own pockets.
“We have gone to several international film markets and peddled to so many business people who all say the same thing: the project is really cool but the market for it is too niche. LGBTQ culture is still censored in many places in the world. In some countries, it’s even literally illegal to be gay. Traditional film investors are scared of backing Zsazsa, so we are turning to you: You are our only hope!”
ZSAZSA NEEDS YOUR HELP
IMAGE FROM ZSAZSA ZATURNNAH’S KICKSTARTER PAGE
To that end, Rocketsheep launched a Kickstarter campaign along with the new trailer to help fund the rest of the movie. The studio is looking to raise 40,000 dollars, with $5,400 already raised from 64 backers as of this writing. Donations start at $1 with multiple awards offered to backers depending on how much they give. For just $1, backers get a collection of Zsazsa Zaturnnah wallpapers for their phones. Other rewards include backers’ names being included in the credits, getting a first look at the finished movie, and their likeness being included in the movie as townsfolk and zombies.
Admittedly, it’s sad seeing local animators be treated this way and have to resort to public funding to finish their projects. It’s symbolic of the lack of support the local creative industry, especially filmmaking, gets. But supporting Filipino artists is a cause always worth supporting, so if you’d like to donate, you can check out their Kickstarter page. Even if you don’t have money to give, simple acts such as talking about the movie or sharing the Kickstarter are enough to get the word out.
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