‘Parchis’: Release date, plot, cast, trailer and everything you need to know about Netflix's documentary on the Spanish children’s band
If you grew up in the late ’70s and '80s you most likely heard at least a couple of ‘Parchis’ songs, growing up. ‘Parchis’ was the most popular Spanish children’s musical group which found success almost instantly and became a household name. The group became a phenomenon of sorts, not just in Spain but also globally. Netflix announced the launch of a documentary based on the lives and experiences of the band members.
Release date
‘Parchis’ premieres on July 10, 2019.
Plot
‘Parchis’ was more than the most popular children's music band in Spain between 1979 and 1985. The success of ‘Parchis’ can be seen through its record number album sales, sold-out tours, and several films and songs that feature their tunes, even today. While this may appear amazing and almost any aspiring musician’s dream come true scenario, how did the band members, who were still little children at the time, handle all the fame and attention?
Netflix describes the documentary as, “The production features the most intimate testimonies of Yolanda, David, Tino, Gemma and Frank who, 40 years after the band was founded, talk about their rise to fame in their childhood, the way it shaped their lives and their personal analysis of that phase of their youth. The documentary includes testimonies from the group's managers, who comment about what it meant on a personal and professional level to be exposed to the gaze of millions of fans, as well as what the end of a successful musical career meant for them.”
Cast
The group’s name is inspired by the popular Spanish board game, Parcheesi, where each player represented one of the four colored pawns (red, yellow, blue and green). Similarly, the five band members of the group dressed up as one of the pawn colors and the fifth member represented the dice.
Tino (Constantino Fernandez): Tino represented the red pawn in the group. He was the lead vocal in many songs and the leader of the group. He was a member of the group from 1979 to 1983. After leaving the group, he dabbled for a bit as a solo artist, and released three albums, but received a lukewarm response.
Yolanda (Yolanda Ventura Roman): Yolanda was the yellow pawn. She is the daughter of musician Rudy Ventura. She was with the band from 1979 to 1985.
Gemma (Gemma Prat Termens): Gemma was the green pawn of the group. She was with the group from 1979 to 1985.
Oscar (Oscar Canadas): Oscar represented the blue pawn and was the youngest band member. He was with the group from 1979 to 1981. He was the first one to exit the group.
David (David Forcada): David represented the dice and was the dancer of the group. He was with the group from 1979 to 1984.
Creator
Daniel Arasanz is the director of the documentary. He described the documentary as, “It is a project focused on a human story, with a sincere look that aspires to do an exercise of empathy with the audience, so they can understand what it meant to achieve such a huge success, prematurely and surprisingly."
Trailer
Where to watch
You can watch ‘Parchis’ on Netflix.
If you liked this, you'll love these
‘Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce’
’27: Gone Too Soon’
‘Bowie: The Man Who Changed the World’
‘Amy’
’20 Feet from Stardom’