Return of the Spanish Screen

Pixelatl panels provide a healthy picture of animation produced in Spain.

Spanish animation and VFX studios will have a strong presence at this year’s vir tual Pixelatl festival this month. “Spain is once again present at the event with a virtual stand that will include a Who’s Who of anima tion and VFX in Spain, promotional videos, information on news of tax incentives, as well as a directory of accredited studios and com panies, such as Wise Blue Studios, Peekaboo Animation, El Ranchito, 3Doubles and Para motion Films,” says Tito Rodríguez, director of marketing for Spain’s Institute of Cinema tography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA).

On September 2 at 10 a.m. Mexico City time (CST) / 5 p.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST), the ICAA in collaboration with Diboos, the Federation of Spanish Animation Associations, will offer the panel

“Spain: Your Animated Mate … New Span

ish Tax Incentives” in which the participants will discuss the benefts of the country’s latest new tax incentives. In addition, together with WEIRD - Animation, Video Games and New Media Market, the org will present short flms by young animators in a panel titled “3 Projects by New Spanish Animation Emerging Talents” (Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. CST, 8 p.m. CEST).

Last, but not least, the Quirino Awards will once again bridge the animation scene between Spain and Latin America, presenting a report on “Resilience in Ibero-American Animation” in the framework of the League of Ibero-American Animation (formed by Quirino, Animation! Ventana Sur and Pixelatl).

A Tax Haven for Toon Producers

“Since May 2020, Spain has increased its tax incentives,” notes Rodríguez. “We have now a very competitive 25% to 30% tax rebate for international productions (5% more than in previous years), having lowered the minimum expenditure for animation and VFX projects to 200,000 euros, and raising the maximum amount of the deduction to a total of 10 mil lion euros. Also, the Canary Islands, thanks to their special Economic and Tax Regime autho rized by the E.U., offer several tax incentives for the animation and VFX industry that are 20 points higher than in the rest of Spain. Specif isodes and more than 50 hours of top-quality, ically, a 50% - 45% tax rebate for internation“Highlights also al productions and a 50% - 45% tax credit for include Hero Dad Spanish productions or co-productions.” (Wise Blue Studios),

Among the many eagerly anticipated features the frst real-time coming out of Spain in the near future are Tad, animated show The Lost Explorer 3 (Lightbox Studios Animation), that begins now its Unicorn Wars (UniKo), and MiBots (Wise Blue Stu worldwide distribuMarina Donderis, Núria Poveda & tion with WildBrain, and Cry Tito Rodríguez Marina Cortón’s Babies (Hampa Becarias Studios), currently a hit on Youtube, with a strong merchandising strategy,” adds Rodríguez. “And of course, Homeless Home by Alberto Vázquez, produced by UniKo and Autour de Minuit, which received the Jury Prize at Annecy earlier this year, which is also part of Pixelatl’s offcial program.” The director also points out that 2020 Alberto Vázquez’s started on a very positive note for Spanish Homeless Home Animation with Sergio Pablos Animation Studios receiving an Oscar nomination and seven Annie Awards for the feature Klaus. Despite the delicate pandemic situation, companies in the animation sector have continued to work and maintained jobs at a very high level. As Diboos presidentNico Matji stated earlier in the year, “The animation and visual effects industry in Spain, although affected by the globGénis Rigol’s He Ran al pandemic of COVID-19 like the rest of Towards His Comrades the cultural sectors, has demonstrated its strength and capacity to recover in this crisis. We have been able to move to teleworking with relative ease because we are eminently digital companies, accustomed to constantly learning and innovating.” Rodríguez says Spanish studios are now experiencing a “new normal.” “Offce work dios). In addition, Clan, the children’s channel of home,” he adds. “Productions have restarted, and Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, has selected international projects have been carried on un seven animated series in their 2020 call for der strict sanitary regulations. Festivals are comproject support. The projects are Get Along Gang ing back as physical or hybrid editions, cinemas (Tomavision), La Granja Feliz (Motion Pictures), I, are reopening and the box offce is recovering, Elvis Riboldi (Peekaboo), Bumpy the Bear (Koji), slowly. Thanks to initiatives like improving the Sunny-Side Billy (Imira), Annie and Carola (MB tax incentives, for example, and increasing our and Mondo International) and the second sea public grants, we are experiencing a bit of fresh son of Momonsters (Big Bang Box and 3Doubles). air and seeing more international investment These seven projects sum up a total of 326 ep and national audiovisual productions.” ◆ is combined with working remotely from family-friendly Spanish animation. For more info, visit icaa.es.