Behind the Score of Lottie Dottie Chicken: The Movie
- Filipe Leitão
- 36 minutes ago
- 4 min read
In the fall of 2025, my studio was filled with the sounds of orchestral adventures, comic chases, emotional reunions, and, of course, some of the most recognizable melodies in Brazilian children’s entertainment.
I was working on the original score for Lottie Dottie Chicken: The Movie, known in Brazil as Galinha Pintadinha: O Filme.
The film brings Galinha Pintadinha and her world to the big screen in a full-length animated adventure, expanding a universe that has been part of the lives of millions of children and families. After months of composing, producing, revising, and discussing the music scene by scene, the film will arrive in Brazilian theaters in October 2026.
From Familiar Songs to a Cinematic Score
One of the central musical ideas behind the film was to take themes audiences already know and love and allow them to live within a larger cinematic score.
Rather than treating the familiar music as something separate from the soundtrack, I often used well-known themes from the Galinha Pintadinha universe as the foundation for the score. These melodies could appear in playful, emotional, suspenseful, or adventurous forms, depending on what was happening on screen.
That process was one of the most enjoyable creative challenges of the project. The melodies needed to remain recognizable, but they also had to evolve with the characters and support the scale, pacing, and emotional language of a feature film.
Finding the Musical Language of the Film
The score covers a wide emotional range. The story moves through comedy, tension, action, discovery, tenderness, and larger moments of adventure.
Some scenes required music that could move quickly between different moods. A humorous moment could suddenly become suspenseful, while an action sequence might still need to preserve the warmth and personality of the characters.
The goal was not simply to make the music sound bigger. It was to find a cinematic language that still felt completely connected to the identity of Galinha Pintadinha.
That meant balancing new musical material with themes audiences already recognize, while giving each scene the rhythm, emotion, and energy it needed.
Working with Marcos Luporini and Juliano Prado
The film was created by Marcos Luporini and Juliano Prado, the creators of Galinha Pintadinha, who also served as co-directors and co-producers.
Throughout the production, we met regularly to discuss the music and its role in the story. These conversations were often very detailed: how a cue should begin, when a theme should be introduced, whether the music should lead the emotion or stay behind the scene, and how a musical idea could help shape the pacing of a sequence.
Marcos Luporini also composed music for the film, including songs and original score. His work has defined the musical identity of Galinha Pintadinha since its beginning, and his music remained an essential part of the film.
My role involved composing and producing a large portion of the original score, frequently working with themes created by Marcos and transforming them according to the dramatic needs of each scene.
That collaboration was especially important because the music needed to connect two worlds: the musical language audiences already associate with Galinha Pintadinha and the broader dramatic arc of a theatrical animated film.
Inside the Scoring Process
Before composing, I would study the timing, dialogue, character movement, editing, and emotional direction. In animation, even a very small gesture can become an important musical moment. A glance, a pause, a sudden movement, or the entrance of a character can completely change how a cue develops.
From there, I would map the scene musically and decide where a familiar theme could be used, where new material was necessary, and how the music should move from one dramatic beat to the next.
The score often needed to be very precise. Comedy depends heavily on timing. Action requires momentum. Emotional scenes usually benefit from restraint. The orchestra had to respond to the story without making every movement feel overly emphasized.
The sessions sometimes contained a large number of orchestral instruments, percussion layers, thematic variations, tempo changes, and synchronized musical events. However, the technical side was always in service of a simple question: what does this scene need from the music?
Writing for Characters, Comedy, and Adventure
The characters of Galinha Pintadinha already have strong personalities, and the music needed to reflect them.
Woodwinds often helped bring humor, movement, and character. Strings could create energy or emotional warmth. Brass and percussion added weight to the film’s more adventurous and intense sequences. At other times, a familiar melody played by only one or two instruments could communicate more than a full orchestral arrangement.
The film also provided opportunities to move beyond the musical tone audiences might initially expect. There are moments of real tension, danger, excitement, and emotion, and the score was able to explore those sides of the story while remaining appropriate for children and families.
A Brazilian Story on the Big Screen
Working on this project carried a special meaning for me as a Brazilian composer.
Galinha Pintadinha is more than a successful children’s character. Its songs and images have become part of the childhood memories of families across Brazil and many other countries.
Because of that history, every familiar melody carries an emotional connection. Using those themes within the score was not simply an orchestration exercise. It was a way of bringing something audiences already know into a new story, a new format, and a new cinematic scale.
The film is beautiful, colorful, adventurous, and full of heart. The entire team approached it with enormous care, and I am grateful to Marcos, Juliano, and the production for trusting me to help shape its musical world.
Lottie Dottie Chicken – The Movie arrives in theaters across Brazil in October 2026.
After spending so much time experiencing these scenes inside my studio, I am looking forward to finally hearing the music in a theater and watching audiences discover the film for the first time.
Music Credits
Original score composed by Filipe Leitão and Marcos Luporini
Songs by Marcos Luporini
Created, co-directed, and co-produced by Marcos Luporini and Juliano Prado
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