"After fleeing home in the real world, Wendy, a young indigenous girl, is lured into the mystical world of the Neverwoodz. As a magical force causes the woods to decay, she meets Hugo, a painter and one of Peter Pan's last remaining Lostboys. Faced with an isolating journey through the dying land, the duo are forced to confront their queer identities, and heal the island before the rot consumes them too."

The Neverwoodz is an alternative story to the story of Neverland. In this short film, Peter Pan has abandoned the Lostboys, and the woods of Neverland have begun to decay in his absence. The island falls into an imbalance.

While under typical circumstances, one can only enter Neverland through the North Star, the rot has loosened its barriers and allowed a teenage runaway in, Wendy. 

Upon her arrival she meets another teenager there, a lost boy and a fantastic painter, Hugo. They travel in isolation for months. Although the rot let Wendy in, it seems to not want to let her out.

Their journey is awkward at first, but slowly they begin to grow familiar with each other. Wendy learns about what it was like before Peter Pan left. Hugo eventually opens up about his insecurities. Lostboys don’t talk about certain things, and one of those things is love. Hugo thinks he once was in love with another Lostboy, but that boy is now gone… Before Wendy can comfort Hugo, something interrupts them… 

There is an evil that lurks in Neverland. It’s in the water. It’s in the trees. It’s in the Neverwoodz and it’s here with Wendy and Hugo. Its name is never shared in any storybook about Neverland, because even thinking about its name can summon it to you. 

Wendy and Hugo can no longer passively travel the Neverwoodz. They have to face it head on. If they fail, not only will the Neverland’s  decay get worse, but Wendy can never tell Hugo that’s it okay– that’s it okay to love another boy. She loves someone too, the girl she ran away from. 

WENDY: An indigenous girl from the real world or also known as Mainland. She is also a photographer, and much like Hugo, spends her time quietly enjoying the beauty around her. 

HUGO: A latino lostboy who tries to have a tough demeanor but is far more emotional than Wendy. His paintings help him process his emotions without having to show them outwardly. 

The Neverwoodz uses both live-action and 2D animation. Hugo is a highly visual person, and isn’t a great “talking-person”. So when he shares to Wendy his secret, we cut to animation in the style of his paintings. 

Here are some concept sketches below. As well as some films that inspire us!

By donating to us you will help fund the production design, and set operations of The Neverwoodz. Since this team has the pleasure of being Rochester Institute of Technology Film and Animation students our equipment costs are paid in kind by the Institution. 

Although by exceeding our expectations, and reaching our Stretch Goals you can help the project further than Production Design and Set Operations. 

STRETCH GOALS: 

If we reach $4,000: We can mitigate out of pocket expenses for media storage such as SD cards, and Hard-drives. 

If we reach $5,000: We can afford our travel expenses for festivals. 

We are making rapid progress through pre-production. Our team has been finalized, and have completed our casting for Hugo, and are still in the casting process for Wendy. 

We will begin filming in September 2026. This will include all our principal photography for the live-action. The animation will need a little bit more love before production can start, and it will begin in November 2026. Both will be completed for post-production in March, and the film will be completed in May. After that are festivals, and our private screenings of the film!

The Neverwoodz is the film I, Azriel, the director begged to see when I was a kid. A fairytale not just with people who looked like me but also were going through the same emotional journey that I was. This is not just a fun “what-if” film for me, it’s a way to express my emotions through art, just like Hugo. 

Our film centers a gay latino and a lesbian indigenous teenager, two people part of groups rarely portrayed on screen, and even rarer seen together. They aren’t reduced to stereotypes. They are portrayed with complexity, including imperfections. They are teenagers after all. 

This film is also reshaping a fairytale to include people like us, queer BIPOC. I as a filmmaker love taking inspiration from classics and molding them to fit my world. How does the story of Neverland relate to my Mexican-American identity? How does it relate to my queerness? And how does it relate to both together? These are some of the questions I asked while writing the script for The Neverwoodz. 

We assembled a team of story-molders like me who are passionate about sharing this story. I am over thrilled to see how this project develops as we enter production, and finalize in post-production. Your support means the world to the small brown gay kid in me that dreams of a story just like this being made real. 

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

The Neverwoodz needs your help! We need to reach 80% of our fundraising goal! You can help this project in three major ways;

DONATE:

This is the most direct way to support The Neverwoodz! In exchange we have some incentives, and you support queer BIPOC artists!!

SHARE:

Spread the word! You can help this story reach more people, and help the Neverwoodz reach its goal while also helping market our film!

FOLLOW:

When you give us a follow, Seed&Spark will give the team more support!

With your help, we can make this film possible!

Thank you so much!

With much love,

Azriel Chavez