Giant Animation opens a new studio in Barcelona

Dublin-based independent studio Giant Animation announced the opening of its first international office in Barcelona. The company is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and the new hub reflects a significant period of growth for the Irish indie.

Giant Animation has recently completed major projects including The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish! for Nickelodeon and Netflix, where it was the No. 1 kids’ show in the U.S. and No. 6 across the platform, for which Giant produced all 40 episodes from its Ireland studio. Giant also produced all 10 episodes of animated fantasy series Legends of Evergreen Hills for Chick-Fil-A, currently being released on its Chick-Fil-A Play app.

CEO Alex Sherwood says the Spanish hub will allow the 15-year-old studio to foster a new network of production partners, leverage both Spanish and Irish tax rebates, and expand its work-for-hire CG animation services in Europe.

The Spain Film Commission’s tax incentives for domestic productions and co-productions include a 30% deduction on the first US$1.03 million (EUR$1 million) spent and 25% for all remaining expenses. The deductions are also capped at US$20.7 million (EUR$20 million) per film and US$10.36 million (EUR$10 million) per series episode.

Going forward, Giant will split the production of upcoming animated projects between both offices, including CG-animated animal grooming series Rachel’s Pet Parlour (40 x 11 minutes, pictured) and its first original family feature Milo. The studio plans to develop these projects throughout 2025 with the goal of starting pre-production early next year.

Giant will continue to develop both projects through 2025, with the view to begin preproduction in 2026.

With the Barcelona studio, Giant is committing to its investment into the Spanish industry. It plans to  recruit from the country’s large talent pool of highly skilled artists for its high-end CG productions. The company will also make use of the Spanish Tax Rebate for international production work carried out in the country.

The launch of Giant’s international office aligns with its wider initiative to expand its work for hire services, production footprint within Europe and develop its global coproduction model, building coproduction relationships in Spain and across the rest of the world.