If you needed proof of the growth of the feature animation industry in Spain, all you have to do is take a look at the four titles nominated for the Goya Awards (Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars) in the Animation category. Donkey Xote (Filmax/Lumiq/Green Publicidad), The Missing Lynx (Kandor Graphics, Perro Verde Films, Green Moon), The Spirit of the Forest (Dygra Films) and RH+, The Vampire of Seville were the four features up for the honor last week. Directed by Raul Garcia, The Missing Lynx (El Linc Perdido) was the winner of the prestigious award during the nationally broadcast ceremony last Sunday.
Missing Lynx is a CG-animated feature about a group of animals who have to escape an evil hunter’s scheme to capture them and deliver them to a mad millionaire. The feature was released in Spain last December and has already sold to 36 countries.
Dygra Films’ The Spirit of the Forest is a sequel to the studio’s successful 2D animated film about a band of animals who hatch up a plan to fight a powerful businessman who wants to build a highway through their home. David Rubin directs this environmentally conscious fable’which has a strong English-language voice cast including Sean Astin, Angelica Huston, Ron Perlman and Giovanni Ribisi.
Directed by Jose Pozo (El Cid: The Legend) Donkey Xote is a CG-animated, family-friendly take on the classic book by Spain’s literary legend Miguel Cervantes, while RH+, the Vampire of Seville is quite a departure from the usual animated titles aimed at children and family audiences. Directed by Antonio Zurera, this adult-themed 2-D animated movie follows a family of vampires who end up in New York City after working as servants in a castle for 500 years. Although we have no news of any U.S. distributors picking up any of these four features, we hope the awards spotlight will help these titles get more exposure and reach American audiences in the near future.
