MINING IN MEXICO S - ProMéxico

36 Negocios photos courtesy of animex estudios
Animations of Mexican Stories
Complete the Picture
Animex Estudios has focused the world’s attention on some Mexican legends,
tales and, coming soon, a story reflecting the reality of Mexico.
Mexican cleverness can also fill
up seats in movie theaters.
With support from Puebla’s
state government and private
investment by a regional business association,
but most importantly with great stories to tell,
Animex Estudios (www.animex2d.com.mx) has
taken the international industry by storm with
its animation and audio work, as well as by
producing scripts, character designs and storyboards
for companies in other countries.
But these global services are just the tip of
the iceberg for this young Mexican
company. It is passionate
about recovering Mexican stories
and legends –pre-Hispanic
and modern alike– and revealing
them to other cultures. Over the
past three years, the studio has
reached an audience of almost
two million children for its La
Leyenda de la Nahuala (The Legend of the Nahuala,
2007) and Nikté (2009). The story continues.
Its latest children’s animated film project El
Americano (The American) is currently being
co-produced by Mexican-American actor Edward
James Olmos, and by founder and current
CEO of Animex Estudios, Ricardo Arnaiz.
The movie will be released in early 2011. Its characters
are birds and Ricardo Arnaiz says that “the
story is about migration and the many positive
results of contrasting cultures meeting together.”
Yes, yes, yes. Hollywood tries and dumps
productions all over and has Animex’ success
at least 30 times per year. However, the difference
is that the company from Puebla is hardly
ten years’ old, its directors, Eduardo Jiménez
and Ricardo Arnaiz, are very young –Ricardo
is thirty-five– and until recently it operated
exclusively with family backing. For example
its offices were located in a space lent by Arnaiz’
father. In 2000, Animex employed just
five people but now has a full-time staff of 55
employees.
“Obviously we don’t charge the same as in
Hollywood but we are creating interesting
products for a global audience and the
response is positive.”
This Mexican company has also shown that
a first-rate film does not need massive investment.
La Leyenda de la Nahuala and Nikté cost
just 2.5 million usd each. Nothing compared to
Disney productions, which cost an average of
between 90 and 180 million usd.
Even without the benefit of the Hollywood
marketing machine, Animex Estudios
has scored some great successes with a selftaught
process and bottom-up, low-budget
scripts. The story of a frightened boy who
in 1807 personally discovered the legend of
La Nahuala, a spirit that hides in an old house
in the city of Puebla, was seen by 1.2 million
people. The Spanish company Filmax took an
interest in the film and is now responsible for
distributing it across ten countries in Europe
and Asia. In the US, the animated film is on
sale on DVD. Nikté, the story of a young girl
in the Olmec culture –which flourished in the
state of Tabasco in south-east Mexico– is still
showing in movie theaters across Mexico, says
Ricardo Arnaiz.
For Nikté, Mexican ingenuity
was used right from pre-production.
For the film’s sound effects some of
the crew travelled to the Agua Selva
community in Huimanguillo in the
state of Tabasco to record natural
sounds for the animation.
The most wonderful aspect is
that, in common with other parts
of Mexico where animation is an emerging
sector boasting solid technical skills and talent,
in the state of Puebla those behind Animex
managed to persuade other sectors not
normally associated with the film industry.
“We received support from the state government
of Puebla and a group of businessmen
who are members of the state business development
council [The Council for Industrial,
Commercial and Service Development of
the State of Puebla, CDICSEP],” says Arnaiz.