TELLURIDE, Colo. — If you've lived in Colorado or a fan of "South Park," you've probably heard of Casa Bonita. The restaurant is known for its indoor waterfall, cliff divers, gorilla mascot and terrible food. It's also been called the "Disneyland of Mexican restaurants."
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the restaurant filed for bankruptcy in 2021. That gave "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone a chance to buy Casa Bonita at a virtual celebration of the show's 24th anniversary with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
After buying it, they partnered with James Beard award nominee Dana Rodriguez to update the terrible-tasting menu. Casa Bonita was closed for nearly two years and reopened in June 2023.
During the million-dollar renovation process, the creators documented their journey. In the first trailer of "¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!" it shows footage of the damage to the building and systems within.
The documentary makes its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival that runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2. The film will be showing on Friday and Sunday with a Q&A.
“¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” will open theatrically in Denver on Sept. 6 at the Alamosa Drafthouse on Colfax Avenue. It will then go to select cities including Los Angeles and New York on Sept. 13. If you're unable to see the documentary Denver or other cities, the film will make its streaming debut on Paramount+ this fall.