Inspector Sun and The Curse of The Black Widow

Filmmaker Julio Soto Gurpide, known for his blend of mystery, adventure, and striking visuals, takes you on a globe-trotting animated detective caper with Inspector Sun and The Curse of the Black Widow.

In 1934, aboard a luxurious hydrophobic flight from Shanghai to San Francisco, webs of suspicion and intrigue stretch across the skies. The renowned spider detective, Inspector Sun, fresh from capturing his nemesis, Red Locust, is drawn into a baffling new case when the wealthy Dr. Spindlethorp receives chilling death threats. When the doctor is found dead under mysterious circumstances mid-flight, Inspector Sun must partner with Janey, a bold young spider stowaway obsessed with his detective work, to uncover truth behind lies, betrayal, and insect-human conspiracies.

From opulent airplane lounges to hidden compartments and shadowy clues, their journey weaves action, intrigue, and humor as the boundary between trust and deception blurs. Inspector Sun’s deductive skills will be tested, friendships will be formed under pressure, and nothing is quite as it seems when the culprit might be closer than it appears.

Directed and co-created by Julio Soto Gurpide, Inspector Sun and The Curse of the Black Widow blends lush art direction, period detail, and thrilling suspense into a family adventure that thrills both young mystery lovers and seasoned sleuths alike.

Trailer

The Characters

The bug world’s greatest detective, this huntsman spider was born and educated in Shanghai. Inspector Sun has the street smarts of John McClane and the eccentricities of Hercule Poirot. He understands the psychology of every known bug criminal, from the common flea to the elusive land lobster.

But hunting criminals comes at a price. While off pursuing his arch-nemesis, the Red Locust, Sun lost his wife in a burglary gone bad. Now, a burned-out Sun might be done solving mysteries, until a murder on a seaplane voyage from Shanghai to San Francisco draws him into a web of danger one more time.

Inspector Sun

A young orphan, Janey is a jumping spider—a fast and fearless species reported to thrive on the slopes of Mount Everest. She can soar 50 times her length in a single bound. Janey’s dream is to become a great detective like her idol, Inspector Sun. She sneaks aboard the seaplane to shadow him, and ends up hopping right into Sun’s biggest case.

Janey may be a little too enthusiastic, and doesn’t always look before she leaps, but this hopeful kid might just be the partner Sun needs.

Janey

She’s beautiful, but also so dangerous her kiss may be your last. A mysterious black widow whose charms entangle those around her, Arabella is the prime suspect in her husband’s death. Every bug knows if there’s a body, the “hourglass” gets the blame. But is she the culprit? Or a victim?

With the help of Inspector Sun and Janey, Arabella sets out to prove her innocence—but the threads of justice all lead to the Red Locust’s evil plan.

Arabella

Wealthy Dr. Bugsy Spindelthorp is Arabella’s unlikely new husband. This fat-cat made a fortune with his network of Spider Wellness Centers for the rich, but when sales took a dive, the good doctor sold his soul to stay on top.

Now a newlywed, Bugsy boards the seaplane with his beautiful bride, but the honeymoon becomes a funeral when Bugsy is found dead. Arabella takes the rap, but is she guilty? Or is Bugsy’s sketchy past catching up to him?

Bugsy Spindelthorp

Hungry for power, the Red Locust craves destruction of biblical proportions. Like Hannibal Lecter with wings, he eats what he kills. Red’s swarm was one of the largest gangs in the bug world. But his reign ended when Inspector Sun got on the case.

Our story begins as Sun captures Red and the last of his swarm—but that’s precisely what Red wants him to believe. Sun’s greatest rival has one more trick up his wing: a secret plot that threatens both bug and humankind. The Great Locust Plague of 1915 pales in comparison to what Red has in store.

Red Locust

The Assassin Bug is the hitman of the bug world. A proficient hunter and master of stealth, he leaves his targets a literal shell of their former selves. This predator-for-hire’s unique skillset is available to the highest bidder.

When he surfaces on the seaplane, it’s assumed the Red Locust sent him to rub out Inspector Sun. But is Sun the real mark? Or is the Assassin Bug part of a larger, more nefarious plot?

Assasin Bug

An ex-fighter pilot, Captain “Flyboy” Skelton operates a private passenger liner in the sky. His upscale accommodations attract a varied clientele, including gangsters, refugees, and those who prey on them. But when Bugsy winds up dead, Skelton wants the case closed before it’s opened. Is Skelton just trying to keep things tidy? Or does this fly give new meaning to the word “buzzkill”?

Captain Skelton

Chief Scarab is a tough-as-nails Rhinoceros beetle, nearly indestructible thanks to his armored shell and piercing horn. As head of security aboard the seaplane, Scarab keeps the peace or breaks you in pieces. He’s an expert on smuggling, so nothing gets past him — unless he wants it to. When Bugsy is killed, others see a crime while Scarab sees an opportunity. With ties to every cop and crook from Shanghai to San Francisco, Scarab tries to hamper the investigation into Bugsy’s murder.