31 minutos, la película


31 minutos, la película is an animated film based on the Chilean television show 31 minutos, directed by Álvaro Díaz and Pedro Peirano. The movie premiere for the public had been scheduled since late 2006, but was delayed for several improvements in its post-production phase, including conducting a contest to find the voices of some characters. The film premiered in Chile on March 27, 2008, in Brazil it was released on August 3, 2012.

Plot

On a remote island, a rare creature known as the Blonde Buffalo attempts to flee in an escape raft but is cut off by the island's owner Cachirula de los Cachirulos, her assistant Wool Star, and an army of dolls. Cachirula grieves that she is both despised by the rare creatures she keeps on the island and that she is still missing the most valuable animal of all: Juanín. A smuggler named Tío Pelado arrives to console Cachirula that he has encountered the last remaining Juanín in existence, and upon showing her a photo of it, is commanded to retrieve it.
In mainland Chile, Juanín is the producer of the news program 31 Minutos, headed by bumbling anchor Tulio Triviño, who is celebrating his birthday. Juanín has arranged a special celebration and gift for Tulio, but fears that if anything goes wrong, he will be fired and will be alone. Tío Pelado overhears this and plans to vandalize Juanín's gift, a large portrait of Tulio. Meanwhile, Juanín checks in with the other employees at the studio for the celebration: reporters Patana and Ernesto Felipe Mario Hugo, commentator Policarpo, and journalist Juan Carlos Bodoque. Upon Tulio's arrival, the show begins a live broadcasting of the celebration, culminating in the unveiling of Tulio's portrait, which Tío Pelado has repainted to display Tulio sitting on a toiled and labeled "Idiot." Tulio, upset by the humiliating image, fires Juanín, who gathers his things and leaves. After his departure, the news crew finds security footage of Tío Pelado altering Tulio's portrait, which they deduce means Juanín is innocent. As they set out to find him, Juanín has already been tricked by Tío Pelado to come to Cachirula's island.
Captive on Tío Pelado's shipping boat, Juanín befriends a small bug named Vicho who reveals to him the cruel nature of Cachirula's rare animal collection. At the docks, a guilt-ridden Tulio rallies the news cast to rescue Juanín by using his private yacht to pursue him but they are instead trapped in the Sea of Great Winds. Unaware of his friends' rescue attempt and feeling betrayed, Juanín accepts Cachirula's hospitality upon arrival to the island and is instructed that he never has to work again, there he meets and befriends a Huachimingo. While still trapped, the news crew receive a televised transmission of Cachirula announcing her completed animal collection and Juanín's disgust of his friends, but Juan Carlos protests the true intentions of Cachirula are to fill her private zoo and strip the animals of their freedom. To keep Juanín from his friends' rescue, Cachirula disposes of Tío Pelado as the only remaining witness.
During a storm, Juan Carlos is thrown overboard and lost at sea, after which the boat and remaining news crew are swallowed by a whale where they find Tío Pelado. To escape the whale, Pelado fills it with smoke which results in the crew being expelled onto the shores of Cachirula's island.
Meanwhile, Juan Carlos is captured by Huachimingo's tribe and tries to kill him for supposedly kidnapping the Huachimingo that is in Cachirula's collection, having been convinced by Guaripolo that he is Tío Pelado, bit Juan Carlos shows them a picture of Tío Pelado and is set free. Juan Carlos then explains where Huachimingo could be.
Bored of his new lifestyle, Juanín attempts to make his own show by recording the other animals with the help of Huachimingo but is reprimanded by Cachirula for working. Cachirula reminds Juanín of his friends' abandonment just as Wool Star discovers the crew on their beach. Tulio arrives at Cachirula's doorstep and unsuccessfully tries to convince Juanín to return to the studio with him.
As Tulio returns to the beach and informs the rest of the crew, Juan Carlos arrives with Huachimingo's lost tribe via several boats. Juanín, moved by Tulio's apology, explores an off-limits area to find the mounted head of the Blonde Buffalo, convincing him of Cachirula's evil intentions and sparking him to incite revolt among the other animals. As Cachirula detains Juanín, she informs him that she has decided to decapitate and mount all the animals' heads. Huachimingo escapes through a sewer pipe and informs the news crew of Cachirula's plans. After Cachirula refuses to release the animals, the news crew declares war and a battle ensues between the news crew, aided by the species that suffered Cachirula's kidnappings, and Cachirula's army, while Tulio, Juan Carlos and Huachimingo go to save Juanin. Meanwhile, Cachirula released an army of robots to kill the crew, but the battle ends up being won by the news crew as Vicho arrives with help. They arrive in time to save Juanín and release the remaining animals, but Cachirula re-captures Juanin and launches him to a cliff as Tulio jumps to save him, but they are saved by the whale that swallowed them before. Vowing revenge, Cachirula and Wool Star flee in their hovercraft, but it malfunctions and explodes.
As the characters celebrate their victory over Cachirula, Juan Carlos expresses his interest in staying with the Huachimingos, but he quickly regrets it upon learning that their spots are tattoos. Later, all the characters dance to music while Mario Hugo searches for Patana.
In a brief post-credits scene, the worker that Tío Pelado replaced wakes up and realized that all is a plot to kidnap Juanin and goes to stop it.

Characters