A South Bay fourth-grader is set to make her big debut in a new animated Christmas special on Friday. However, as NBC 7’s Joe Little reports, landing the role of one of the main characters is hardly Estella Madrigal’s biggest achievement.
Estella Madrigal spends most days attending fourth grade with her fellow students at Eastlake Elementary in Chula Vista.
However, this Friday, millions of strangers can listen to her when the animated “An Almost Christmas Story” begins streaming on Disney+.
And that’s not even the 9-year-old’s biggest achievement.
Estella Madrigal is the voice of “Luna,” a lost girl who befriends a lost and injured owl in New York City at Christmas-time.
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“I almost cried when I got the part,” beamed Estella Madrigal before school started Wednesday.
Her classmates didn’t believe her at first.
“But then I showed them the trailer and now they believe me.”
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Producers for the animated short wanted “Luna’s” voice to come from someone with a similar background.
“It definitely felt like I had a connection with my character,” Estella Madrigal explained.
“It was written for her,” said her mother, Karen Madrigal. “[The producers] were literally looking for a Latina girl that had an amputation.”
Doctors found a tumor in Estella’s right leg a few years ago. The young girl chose to have her right leg amputated instead of risk the cancer returning. The almost 10-year-old is now cancer-free.
“I always wanted to meet somebody my age who also had an amputation,” Estella Madrigal said. “So, I finally got to meet her.”
Estella Madrigal’s character “Luna” has a prosthetic leg. Her owl companion has a hurt wing.
Karen Madrigal said her daughter has been on an amazing journey.
“Just the fact that we were able to do that and not be at Rady [Children’s Hospital], not be locked in a hospital, it's a blessing,” she smiled. “I just hope that story inspires others.”
It seemed to be something Estella Madrigal is good at doing.
“When you’re going through something different, you can obviously beat it,” she said before beginning another day of fourth grade.
