Short films
Silent era
Segundo de Chomón is considered the pioneer of Spanish animation, with the stop-motion shorts he made in France for Pathé starting with ''La maison hantée'' (1907). An animated sequence within family footage on the First Communion of a child called Mercedes Cura is thought to be the first piece of animation made in Spain. For a long time ''El toro fenómeno'' (Fernando Marco, 1917), which was lost, was considered the first Spanish animated production, but nowadays ''El apache de Londres'', also lost, is thought to date from 1915, and thus the centenary of Spanish animation was held in 2015. They were immediately followed by other shorts, including political satires. Starting in 1917 with La apertura de las Cortes: Dato no entiende de indirectas animated sketches were included in newsreels, and that same year Joaquín Xaudaró, the best known Spanish animator from the interwar period, made his first film, Las aventuras de Jim Trot, and in 1920 he created the first Spanish sci-fi-themed animated film, La fórmula del Doctor Nap. In 1932 Xaudaró founded Sociedad Española de Dibujos Animados, SEDA, the first animation production company in the country, and the directed its first film, Un drama en la costa, which turned out to be his last film as he died in 1933. The company outlived him briefly, producing three more films: El rata primero, Francisca, la mujer fatal and Serenata (1934 film), Serenata. En los pasillos del Congreso, a satire of the Second Spanish Republic, Second Republic's politics, was left unfinished. By then other cartoonists were experimenting with animation on their own, like José Escobar Saliente, José Escobar with La rateta que escrombrara l'escaleta. Stop-motion was introduced in Spanish animation by Salvador Gijón in 1935, with Sortilegio vacuno and Españolada. It seemed to catch on, and three films (El intrépido Raúl, Pipo y Pipa en busca de Cocolín and Arte, amor y estacazos) were created by different teams in the following year's first months, but the Spanish Civil War, Civil War's outbreak put a halt to all animated productions.Feature films
Classic era
Spain's first animated feature, Garbancito de la Mancha, Garbancito of La Mancha (1945), was the first European cel animation, cel-animated and non-American color one, using Dufaycolor. It was a fairy tale where an orphan child loosely based in Don Quixote has to save his friends from a giant with the help of his fairy godmother and goat. Its production company, Balet y Blay, made two more features: Alegres vacaciones, Happy Vacations (1948) and Los sueños de Tay-Pi, The Dreams of Tay-Pi (1952). Through the 1950 new companies were created. Estudios Moro and Estudios Vara produced the main features in subsequent stages of the Francoism, Francoist era: El mago de los sueños, The Wizard of Dreams (1966) and El armario del tiempo, The Wardrobe of Time (1971). Cruz Delgado, a Moro animator, created his own studio and directed Mágica aventura, Magical Adventure (1973), while Manuel García Ferré, who had moved to Argentinian animation, Argentina, created there features such as Las Aventuras de Hijitus, The Adventures of Hijitus (1973) and ''Trapito (film), Trapito'' (1975). At the later stages of this period underground animation took shape, including the first direct film, abstract direct cameraless feature ever, José Antonio Sistiaga's ''Ere erera baleibu icik subua aruaren'' (1970), and during the Spanish transition to democracy, transition to democracy the first Spanish feature restricted for adults was released: Historias de amor y masacre, Stories of Love and Massacre (1979).Modern era
In the 1980s the feature production was diversified under the new Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous system and films based in the local traditions were produced, such as La calabaza mágica, The Magic Pumpkin (Juan Bautista Berasategi, 1985) in Euskadi and ''Despertaferro'' (Jordi Amorós, 1990) in Catalonia. "Katy La Oruga, Katy The Caterpillar" (1984) was a coproduction with Mexico and The Town Musicians of Bremen (film), The Town Musicians of Bremen (Cruz Delgado, 1988), spun a popular series, ''Los Trotamúsicos'' (1989), was the first animation film prized at the Goya Awards. Feature production didn't make an impact for most of the 1990s, and only one Goya award was granted in the first half of the decade, for El regreso del viento del Norte, The Return of the North Wind (Maite Ruiz de Austri, 1993). It was however a period of experimentation: ''Megasónicos'' (1997) was the first European CGI animation feature, and Juego de niños, A Child's Play (Pablo Lloréns, 1999) was the first Spanish stop-motion feature. Production rose in the following years, and in 2000 four films competed for the Goya Award for the first time. El bosque animado (2001 film), The Living Forest (2001) was the first widely distributed CGI feature, but most films were made in traditional animation for the first half of the decade. While most of them were influenced by American animation, ''Gisaku'' (Baltasar Pedrosa, 2005) was branded as ''the first Spanish anime feature'' and released at nearly the same time in Japan and Spain.Contemporary era
From the second half of the 2000s CGI has been the dominating trend in family features. Many of them were co-productions with other countries, such as British animation, Great Britain in Kandor Graphics' The Missing Lynx (2008) and Justin and the Knights of Valour (2013). The most ambitious of these co-productions was Planet 51 (2009), with a $70 million budget. At the same time, Spanish animation co-produced foreign films such as Michel Ocelot's Azur et Asmar, Azur and Asmar (2006). Some of the most ambitious projects in more recent years were produced just in Spain with the backing of television networks, such as Mediaset in Lightbox Entertainment's Tad, the Lost Explorer (2012) and Capture the Flag (2015). Meanwhile live-action directors Juan José Campanella and Javier Fesser entered the CGI animation field with Underdogs (2013 animated film), Underdogs (2013) and Mortadelo and Filemon: Mission Implausible (2014) respectively. Traditional animation is still used in adult projects. Chico and Rita (Fernando Trueba, 2010) won the European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film, European Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Academy Award, while Wrinkles (film), Wrinkles (Ignacio Ferreras, 2011) was nominated for the European Award and the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, Annie Award. Lastly, stop-motion has been used for horror features such as Going Nuts (Juanjo Ramírez, 2007) and ''O apóstolo, O Apóstolo'' (Fernando Cortizo, 2012).List of productions
, -style=font-size:85% , colspan=10, , , bgcolor=lightgreen, Prized , , bgcolor=lightblue, Nomin. , -style=font-size:85% ! rowspan=2, Title !! rowspan=2, Release !! rowspan=2, R. time !! rowspan=2, Technique !! rowspan=2, Main animation studio !! rowspan=2, Director !! rowspan=2, Co-producers !! rowspan=2, Rating !! rowspan=2, Budget !! rowspan=2, Box office !! colspan=4, Awards , -style=font-size:85% ! Goya Award for Best Animated Film, Goya !! European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Euro !! Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Oscar !! Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, Annie , -style=font-size:85% , Garbancito de la Mancha, Garbancito of La Mancha , , 1945-11-23 , , 98 min. , , Traditional , , Balet y Blay , , José María Blay, J.M. Blay, Arturo Moreno (cartoonist), A. Moreno , , colspan=2, , , Spanish peseta, P3.1 million , , P3 million , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Alegres vacaciones, Happy Holidays , , 1948-12-27 , , 73 min. , , Traditional , , Balet y Blay , , José María Blay, J.M. Blay, Arturo Moreno (cartoonist), A. Moreno , , colspan=2, , , P3 million , , P1.3 million , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Érase una vez..., Once Upon a Time... , , 1950 , , 75 min. , , Traditional , , Estela Films, Estela , , Alexandre Cirici Pellicer, Alexandre Cirici , , colspan=2, , , P4 million , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Los sueños de Tay-Pi, The Dreams of Tay-Pi , , 1952-12-22 , , , , Traditional , , Balet y Blay , , José María Blay, J.M. Blay, Franz Winterstein, F. Winterstein , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , El mago de los sueños, The Wizard of Dreams , , 1966-12-16 , , 70 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Moro, Moro , , Fernando Macián , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Festival de Mortadelo y Filemón, Mortadelo y Filemon Festival , , 1969 , , 80 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Vara, Vara , , Rafael Vara , , colspan=3, , , P2.2 million , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Segundo Festival de Mortadelo y Filemón, Mortadelo y Filemon Second Festival , , 1970 , , 85 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Vara, Vara , , Rafael Vara , , colspan=3, , , P2.5 million , -style=font-size:85% , ''Ere erera baleibu icik subua aruaren'' , , 1970 , , 75 min. , , Drawn-on-film , , , , José Antonio Sistiaga , , colspan=4, , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , El armario del tiempo, The Wardrobe of Time , , 1971 , , 78 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Vara, Vara , , Rafael Vara , , colspan=3, , , P40 million , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Mágica aventura, Magical Adventure , , 1973-09-06 , , 69 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Cruz Delgado, Cruz Delgado , , Cruz Delgado , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , El desván de la fantasía, The Attic of Fantasy , , 1978 , , 75 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Cruz Delgado, Cruz Delgado , , Cruz Delgado , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Historias de amor y masacre, Stories of Love and Massacre , , 1979-04-16 , , 88 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Equip, Equip , , Jordi Amorós , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Guliver's Travels (1983 film), Gulliver's Travels , , 1983-12-17 , , 82 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Cruz Delgado, Cruz Delgado , , Cruz Delgado , , colspan=2, , , P100 million , - bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Katy, la oruga (film), Katy the Caterpillar , , 1985-07-15 , , 69 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Moro, Moro , , José Luis Moro, J.L. Moro, Santiago Moro, S. Moro , , , , , , P80 million , -style=font-size:85% , El pequeño vagabundo, The Little Vagabond , , 1985-07-29 , , 96 min. , , Traditional , , , , Manuel Rodjara , -style=font-size:85% , La calabaza mágica, The Magic Pumpkin , , 1985 , , 90 min. , , Traditional , , , , Juanba Berasategi , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Los cuatro músicos de Bremen (1989 film), Town Musicians of Bremen , , 1989-06-26 , , 86 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Cruz Delgado, Cruz Delgado , , Cruz Delgado , , colspan=3, , , P20 million , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , ''Peraustrinia 2004'' , , 1990-04-06 , , 75 min. , , Traditional , , Producciones Fermín Marimón, Marimón , , Ángel García (animator), Ángel García , -style=font-size:85% , ''Despertaferro'' , , 1990-12-05 , , 75 min. , , Traditional , , Estudios Equip, Equip , , Jordi Amorós , , , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , La leyenda del viento del Norte, The Legend of the North Wind , , 1992 , , 69 min. , , Traditional , , Eskuz Animation Studios, Eskuz , , Juanba Berasategi, J. Berasategi, Maite Ruiz de Austri, M. Ruiz de Austri, Carlos Varela (animator), C. Varela , , colspan=2, , , P150 million , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , El regreso del viento del Norte, The Return of the North Wind , , 1993 , , 72 min. , , Traditional , , Eskuz Animation Studios, Eskuz , , Maite Ruiz de Austri , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , ''Megasónicos'' , , 1997-12-19 , , 85 min. , , CG animation , , Baleuko , , Javier González de la Fuente, J. González, José Martínez Montero, J. Martínez , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Ahmed, príncipe de la Alhambra, Ahmed, the Prince of Alhambra , , 1998-06 , , 68 min. , , Traditional , , Lotura Films, Lotura , , Juanba Berasategi , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -style=font-size:85% , ''¡Qué vecinos tan animales!'' , , 1998-09-04 , , 69 min. , , Traditional , , Extra (film company), Extra , , Maite Ruiz de Austri , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Goomer , , 1999-07-09 , , 75 min. , , Traditional , , Merlín Animación, Merlín , , José Luis Feito, J.L. Feito, Carlos Varela (animator), C. Varela , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -style=font-size:85% , Juego de niños, A Children's Game , , 1999-10 , , 74 min. , , Stop-motion , , Potens Plastianimation, Potens , , Pablo Llorens , , colspan=2, , , P48 million , -style=font-size:85% , El ladrón de sueños, The Thief of Dreams , , 1999-12-15 , , 70 min. , , CG animation , , Dibulitoon , , Ángel Alonso (animator), Ángel Alonso , , colspan=2, , , P130 million , , , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , La isla del cangrejo, The Island of the Crab , , 2000-10-02 , , 68 min. , , Traditional , , Irusoin , , Txabi Basterretxea, T. Basterretxea, Joxan Muñoz, J. Muñoz , , colspan=2, , , P130 million , , , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -style=font-size:85% , Marco Antonio: Rescate en Hong Kong, Marco Antonio: Hong Kong Rescue , , 2000-12-01 , , 78 min. , , Traditional , , Merlín Animación, Merlín , , Manuel J. García, M.J. García, Carlos Varela (animator), C. Varela , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , El bosque animado (2001 film), The Living Forest , , 2001-08-03 , , 82 min. , , CG animation , , Dygra Films, Dygra , , Ángel de la Cruz, Á. de a Cruz, Manolo Gómez, M. Gómez , , colspan=2, , , €3 million , , €2 million , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -style=font-size:85% , 10 + 2: el gran secreto, 10 + 2: The Great Secret , , 2001-08-17 , , 85 min. , , Traditional , , Acció (film company), Acció , , Miquel Pujol , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -style=font-size:85% , Un perro llamado dolor, A Dog Called Pain , , 2001-11-16 , , 90 min. , , Traditional , , , , Luis Eduardo Aute , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -style=font-size:85% , La leyenda del unicornio, The Legend of the Unicorn , , 2001-12-21 , , 70 min. , , Traditional , , Extra (film company), Extra , , Maite Ruiz de Austri , , colspan=2, , , P200 million , , , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , El rey de la granja, The King of the Farm , , 2002-06-21 , , 95 min. , , Trad. / CG / live-action , , Bainet (film company), Bainet , , Gregorio Muro, G. Muro, Carlos Zabala (animator), C. Zabala , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -style=font-size:85% , Los guerreros del Apocalipsis, The Warriors of the Apocalypse , , 2002-08-14 , , 80 min. , , CG animation , , Ovidio DVD , , Jesús Manuel Montané, Jesús M. Montané , -style=font-size:85% , Puerta del tiempo, Time Gate , , 2002-11-29 , , 80 min. , , Traditional , , Animatoons , , Pedro Eugenio Delgado, Pedro E. Delgado , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -style=font-size:85% , Dragon Hill (film), Dragon Hill , , 2002-12-20 , , 80 min. , , Traditional , , Milímetros Dibujos Animados, Milímetros , , Ángel Izquierdo , , colspan=2, , , €3 million , , , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -style=font-size:85% , Anjé, la leyenda del Pirineo, Anjé, the Pyrenaic Legend , , 2002 , , 67 min. , , CG animation , , Baleuko , , Juanjo Elordi , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , ''El embrujo del Sur'' , , 2003-07-04 , , 89 min. , , Traditional , , Lotura Films, Lotura , , Juanba Berasategi , , colspan=2, , , €1.2 million , , , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -style=font-size:85% , Betizu entre las estrellas, Betizu Among the Stars , , 2003-10-31 , , 71 min. , , CG animation , , Baleuko , , Egoitz Rodríguez , -style=font-size:85% , El Cid: The Legend , , 2003-12-19 , , 90 min. , , Traditional , , Filmax Animation, Filmax , , Raúl del Pozo , , colspan=2, , , €8 million , , €2.6 million , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -style=font-size:85% , Los Reyes Magos (2003 film), The Three Wise Men , , 2003-12-19 , , 76 min. , , Traditional , , Animagic , , Antonio Navarro (animator), Antonio Navarro , , colspan=2, , , €7.2 million , , €2.3 million , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , Pinocchio 3000 , , 2004-02-09 , , 79 min. , , CG animation , , CinéGroupe , , Daniel Robichaud (animator), Daniel Robichaud , , , , , , $12 million , , $15 million , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -style=font-size:85% , Los Balunis en la aventura del fin del mundo, The Balunis in the Adventure in the End of the World , , 2004-03-19 , , 88 min. , , CG animation , , Baleuko , , Juanjo Elordi , , colspan=4, , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -style=font-size:85% , ''Glup, una aventura sin desperdicio'' , , 2004-04-02 , , 73 min. , , Traditional , , Dibulitoon , , Aitor Arregi (animator), A. Arregi, Íñigo Berasategui, I. Berasategui , , colspan=2, , , €1.2 million , , , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -style=font-size:85% , Supertramps , , 2004-12-01 , , 79 min. , , CG animation , , Dibulitoon , , Íñigo Berasategi, Jose Mari Goenaga , , colspan=2, , , €1.2 million , , , , bgcolor=lightblue, , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , La muerte de Arensivia, Arensivia's Death , , 2005 , , 85 min. , , Traditional , , El Jueves , , Miguel Ángel García Laparra, Maikel García , -style=font-size:85% , Gisaku , , 2005-03-04 , , 81 min. , , Traditional , , Filmax Animation, Filmax , , Baltasar Pedrosa , , colspan=2, , , €4 million , , €133,000 , -style=font-size:85% , Las monstruosas aventuras de Zipi y Zape, The Monstruous Adventures of Zipi and Zape , , 2005-03-09 , , 80 min. , , Traditional , , BRB Internacional, BRB , , Claudio Biern Boyd , -style=font-size:85% , Midsummer Dream , , 2005-07-01 , , 98 min. , , CG animation , , Dygra Films, Dygra , , Ángel de la Cruz, Manolo Gómez , , , , , , €6 million , , €1.5 million , , bgcolor=lightgreen, , -style=font-size:85% , Olentzero y el tronco mágico, Olentzero and the Magic Trunk , , 2005-12-23 , , 82 min. , , CG animation , , Baleuko , , Juanjo Elordi , , colspan=2, , , €1.3 million , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , ''El guerrero sin nombre, The Warrior Without a Name'' , , 2006-04-07 , , 90 min. , , CG animation , , Tornasol Films, Tornasol , , David Iglesias (director), David Iglesias , , colspan=2, , , €2.3 million , -style=font-size:85% , ''PayaS.O.S. ¡¡¡al rescate!!!'' , , 2006-12-29 , , 70 min. , , Traditional , , Lotura Films, Lotura , , Imanol Zinkunegi , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , ''De Profundis (film), De Profundis'' , , 2007-01-19 , , 75 min. , , Traditional , , , , Miguelanxo Prado , , colspan=2, , , €1.5 million , -bgcolor=lightgrey , colspan=14, , -style=font-size:85% , ''Klaus (film), Klaus'' , , 2018 , , , , Traditional , , , , , , colspan=2, , ,Television animation
Classic era
Animation first appeared at the Spanish television in commercials and spots. The most famous one was José Luis Moro's La familia Telerín, The Telerín Family (1964), which was used to tell children it was time to go to bed. Its characters went on to star in the 1966 El mago de los sueños, The Wizard of Dreams feature. In 1968 former Estudios Moro animator Cruz Delgado created for Televisión Española, TVE the first Spanish animated series, ''Microbio''.Modern era
Cruz Delgado's Don Quijote de la Mancha (animation series), Don Quixote of La Mancha (1979–81) was the first large success in Spanish TV animation, which boosted in the following years. Co-productions were set, with Nippon Animation creating the animation for BRB Internacional's Ruy, the Little Cid (1979), Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds (1981) and Around the World with Willy Fog (1984), while The World of David the Gnome (1985) was an international success.References
External links
{{Animation Spanish animation, Spanish animation