When Captain Citrus speaks, there’s no denying his Florida Citrus roots.
BARTOW, Fla. – When Captain Citrus speaks in a series of newly unveiled animated shorts, there’s no denying his Florida Citrus roots.
There’s a twang to his voice, an unmistakable lilt unique to those who call the Florida Orange groves home.
It’s the kind of voice that evokes images of days spent rising with the sun, working in the dirt, nurturing life from the ground up – just as generations of citrus growers have done.
It’s the kind of voice fit for a hero.
To coincide with the launch of the third Captain Citrus comic from Marvel Custom Solutions, the Florida Department of Citrus created an animated version of America’s newest hero for use in digital web-based shorts.
When the search for a voice actor began, there was one requirement: sound like a Florida Citrus grower.
The Department didn’t have to go far.
Like Captain Citrus’ John Polk, Christian Spinosa, 24, grew up on a Central Florida citrus grove. A fifth generation citrus grower, Spinosa works as a production manager for his family’s citrus and cattle company, Dudley Putnam Inc.
“Christian adds a level of authenticity to the character that would have been tough to duplicate with a professional actor,” said Doug Ackerman, executive director of the FDOC. “We always envisioned Captain Citrus as representative of all the traits we admire in our growers and now we can say he sounds like them, too.”
The animated shorts guide viewers to learn more at CaptainCitrus.com and also help launch a contest for a child to win a trip to Los Angeles to have their likeness be drawn into a future Marvel’s Avengers Assemble animated episode.
The third chapter of the comic, which showcases Captain Citrus in another heroic battle against evil, focuses on the theme of resilience – a value close to the Florida Citrus industry. The digital comic book, available now at CaptainCitrus.com, encourages young readers to remain strong and steadfast in the face of difficulty and offers gentle reminders on the importance of nutrition.
The latest chapter, along with the move into short animations, culminates a year of changes for the hero, who began as a rotund orange from outer space.
“Marvel helped us transform Captain Citrus into a compelling ambassador with worldwide reach,” Ackerman said. “Now, we’ve taken him a step further. No longer confined to the pages of a comic, we aim to reach even more young readers with a message of nutrition and the values of our industry.”
All three comic book chapters are available digitally on CaptainCitrus.com along with more information on how 100% Florida Orange Juice can be part of a healthy and well-balanced diet.
To read the comics or enter the contest, please visit CaptainCitrus.com.
About the Florida Department of Citrus
The Florida Department of Citrus is an executive agency of Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. Its activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. The industry employs nearly 62,000 people, provides an annual economic impact of nearly $10.7 billion to the state, and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues that help support Florida’s schools, roads and health care services. For more information about the Florida Department of Citrus, please visit FloridaCitrus.org.
About Marvel Custom Solutions
Custom Solutions is Marvel’s in-house creative agency that leverages all the greatest talent within Marvel Entertainment to create highly dynamic and compelling content and campaigns for global brands. Marvel Custom Solutions has the ability to deploy the work it creates through its robust print, digital, social and theatrical platforms, adding scale to the programs it creates.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy-five years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com. © 2015 MARVEL
