Catalonia’s Adult Animation Scene Prospers as Artists Push to Tell Mature Stories
Global animation has seen a significant uptick in the production and dissemination of titles produced for mature audiences. Catalonia is no exception, and the Spanish community’s adult animation industry is thriving as artists look to tell more mature stories with their work.
Several high-profile examples stand out at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival. Maria Trenor’s psychedelic musical “Rock Bottom” is world premiering in the festival’s main competition, and David Baute’s global warming documentary “Black Butterflies” is playing in the Contrechamp section. “The Doctor’s Wife,” a Catalonia-Portugal co-production, will feature in the festival’s Tribute to Portuguese Animation – A New Generation showcase.
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Trenor’s “Rock Bottom” is produced by Catalan producer Alba Sotorra, who is recognized for her fearlessness in backing adventurous local productions made by women filmmakers, and often with international partners. In this case, she produces a psychedelic rotoscoped story inspired by the life and music of U.K. artist Robert Wyatt.
Sotorra says of the film, “‘Rock Bottom’ is one of the most beautiful albums I have ever heard. Those of us who know Robert Wyatt will inevitably become unconditional fans of this animated film. And those who don’t will be glad to have discovered him. Every frame of the film is a work of art that I am proud to be a part of. Rock Bottom defies the conventions of animation by being led by female artists, whose influence and strength is reflected in every frame of the film.”
In “Black Butterflies,” Baute uses animation to tell the story of three women from vastly different walks of life who are all displaced by the devastating impact of climate change. The film is produced by leading Catalan producer Edmon Roch at Ikiru Films alongside Televisió de Catalunya, Tinglado Film, Anangu Grup and Tunche Films.
Roch tells Variety he’s “thrilled to be producing” Baute’s latest, explaining, “It’s a global tale necessary to relay, with the focus placed on people whose tragedies are largely unknown to our society.”
Adult animated features from Catalonia impressing at global festivals is not a new phenomenon. Last year’s big Catalan animated hit, “Robot Dreams” (Arcadia Motion Pictures), deftly walked the line between kids and family audiences and earned a European Film Award and an Oscar nomination in doing so. Released in the U.S. by Neon, it is set to expand beyond New York this weekend. Although it’s appropriate for young audiences, the heavier themes of loss and memory resonate with older viewers who can empathize with the film’s main characters.
In 2020, the Catalan-French documentary “Josep” used animation to tell the story of republican cartoonist and exile Josep Bartolí. A critical hit, the film won best animated feature at the European Film Awards and the French Academy César Award for an animated film.
The future of adult animation in Catalonia looks bright as well. “Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake,” the first-ever stop-motion feature produced in the region, is currently in production and will host an Annecy Work in Progress session at this year’s festival. The film features young protagonists and vibrant models and sets that should appeal to younger viewers but deals with themes of homelessness, poverty and the struggles of a single mother who wants to do right by her kids.
“Catwalk,” an upcoming animated series created by Lidia Luna, Toni Mortero and Omayra Gonzàlez, won the 2024 Next Lab Generation prize of €8,000 ($8,650) in development financing and a pass to pitch at Annecy’s MIFA marketplace. The series will tell the story of María, a woman stuck in a monotonous life who suffers a terrible accident that results in her consciousness traveling into the body of a stray cat.
Thanks to robust regional financing structures and help from local broadcasters, Catalan producers have numerous resources available to them to help turn projects into productions. That said, there is always room for improvement.
According to “Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake” producer Mikel Mas (Cornelius Films), it’s still “difficult to make animation for adults in Catalonia. The broadcasters from Spain are not often interested in this kind of content.”
That said, things could be changing for the better as larger institutions become accustomed to new norms and shifting audience tastes. Sotorra says that without the help of public broadcasters, “Rock Bottom” never would have made it into production.
“We got significant support from our main broadcasters. Because our director is from Valencia, the main producer is from Catalonia, and the film takes place in Majorca, we got backing from the extended Catalan community. That included funding from public broadcasters from all three territories, as well as backing from the national public broadcaster RTVE.”
Roch agrees that broadcaster involvement is the way forward and insists, “Local broadcasters are key for us. With ‘Black Butterflies,’ the first to commit was actually the Televisión Canaria which made an agreement with David [Baute] and Tinglado Films, our co-producer in the Canary Islands.”
He added, “It’s not always about the amount they give, but the commitment they provide from the very beginning. In Catalonia, we had that same early commitment from 3 Cat, which joined the film when it was still just a project.”
Increased backing from public broadcasters forecasts a bright future for adult animation from Catalonia, especially if audiences continue to tune in for adventurous and original productions.
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