Spanish animation is experiencing a historic boom. Shorts and features from the country are achieving notable success at festivals and the box office, while Spanish artists are contributing to some of the most influential film and TV productions coming from Hollywood today. The question now is what steps should be taken to build on recent success.
Spaniard Almu Redondo won an Emmy this year for her work on the Cartoon Saloon-produced “Star Wars: Visions” episode “Screecher’s Reach,” and Pablo Berger’s Spanish feature “ Robot Dreams ” was nominated for a 2024 animated feature Academy Award. Few artists had as profound an impact on the aesthetic of the “Spider-Verse” films as Alberto Mielgo, who also won the animated short Oscar in 2022 for his film “The Windshield Wiper.” Spanish artists flourishing abroad is a longstanding tradition, but one that may be waning.
Many animation professionals are now staying in Spain, while others who emigrated in the past are returning to ply their trade in their homeland. One standout example is “Klaus” director, “Despicable Me” creator and SPA Studios founder Sergio Pablos. “There was a wave of creators like me that fled the country in search of opportunities when there was not much of a local industry,” he recalls.
“Many eventually made it back home with experience and know-how, which shows in the quality of [current] projects.” Damián Perea, director of Spain’s only Oscar-qualifying animation fest.