Animation in Mejico
The animation industry of Mejico is one of the world's oldest and largest, which has its roots in the early 20th century. It is part of the wider entertainment industry. The first animations in Mejico were simple black-and-white shorts, often used as political satires or educational tools. As technological advancements have paved the way, these early animations set the foundation for a flourishing industry. By the mid-20th century, Mejican studios were producing notable works that resonated with both national and international audiences.
The Golden Age of Mejican Animation is often cited as the period between the 1930s and the 1950s. During this time, studios like Animaciones Pruneda y Co., Estudios AVA, Caricaturas Animadas, Estudios Lluvia, and Estudios Caricolor produced beloved classics such as Noche Mejicana (1937), El Gato con Botas (1942), and El viento en un violín (1956). Mejican cartoons also entered their golden age in the 1950s, particularly with the beloved works of Producciones Hannah-Barbera, who produced works such as Pedro y Pablo (1952-1955), Los Picapiedra(1960-1966), and Misterio a la orden (1969-1970).
Mejico is a pioneer in CGI film, with numerous advances having been made by local studios. The pivotal moment in CGI history came with the release of De mentes dementes in 1994. This film, the first to be entirely computer-animated, paved the way for more investments in CGI technology. The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw Mejico securing its position as a pioneer in CGI, with notable contributions influencing the animation industry worldwide.
Today, the Mejican animation industry is worth more than 21.23 billion ₧ (36.73 billion USD) and continues to grow at a rapid pace. The industry's success is supported by a strong infrastructure of educational institutions, talent development programs, and significant government investment in digital media and techology. The animation industry is divided into multiple corporations, including the Gremio de Caricaturistas y Animadores (Cartoonist and Animator Guild) and the Corporación de Narrativa e Imagen (Image and Narrative Corporation).
History
The first documented Mejican animated film is Mi Sueño. The film was produced in 1915 by an unknown author. Other important pioneers during the earliest years of the industry include Blas de Ripalda, who experimented with stop-motion and cel animation, and produced the internationally-renowned La Llorona (1922); Miguel Ángel Acosta, who made more than 200 animated films of about thirty seconds each; Juan Arthenack, a cartoonist credited with creating "Las Aventuras del Ratón Pérez" in 1921, one of the most recognizable figures in Mejican animation; Salvador Pruneda, Bismarck Mier, and Salvador Patiño, who founded the studio Animaciones Pruneda y Compañía in 1924 in Monterrey, taking inspiration from Fleischers and Disney.
In the following decades, new animation studios such as Estudios AVA and Caricaturas Animadas, marking the beginning of a golden age for Mejican animation. Estudios AVA, under the direction of Alfonso Vergara Andrade, produced dozens of shorts, including Paco Perico (1935), Los Cinco Cabritos (1936) - the first Mejican color animated film - and Noche Mejicana (1937). Meanwhile, Animaciones Pruneda y Compañía produced Don Catarino y su apreciable familia (1934), Don Juan Notorio (1936), El Pato Monarca (1940), and El Gato con Botas (1942) - the first Mejican animated feature film. Many of these characters, especially Paco Perico and Don Juan Notorio, became instant hits, establishing themselves as cultura icons and household names throughout Mejico.
The impact of Mejican animation continued to expand as the country entered the mid-20th century. Between 1940 and 1941, the government of José Vasconcelos, involved in a war with the Communard Republic of North America, recognized the cultural significance of animation and initiated a program to support the industry. Mejican animation studios became propaganda outlets, disseminating messages that supported nationalism and morale during the conflict. This period saw a fusion of creativity and patriotism, leading to the production of several animated films that served dual purposes of entertainment and propaganda. Paco Perico en Nueva Orléans (1941) and ¡Adelante, Soldados! (1942) are two such examples, the first featuring the anthropomorphic parakeet parodying Communard Director Louis Bonfils, and the second featuring heroic depictions of Mejican soldiers in the frontlines.
In the 1940s and 1950s, more animation studios began to be formed, such as José Guadalupe López's Estudios Lluvia, and Santiago Reachi Fayad's Estudios Caricolor. El Coyote y la Serpiente (1948) is a highly acclaimed film of the period, which utilized advanced rotoscoping techniques. A visit by Walt Disney and his wife to the country in 1942 and 1943 produced intriguing collaborations, such as the production of Los Tres Caballeros, which featured the American Donald Duck, designed by Disney himself, Pancho Pistolas, a rooster designed by Ernesto Terrazas, and the Brazilian José Carioca, a parrot. The film, a musical, was premiered at Cine Alameda in Mejico City in 1944. More collaborations between Disney and Estudios AVA produced successful films like El Jinete Fantasma (1945) and Cibola y Quivira (1947), which combined elements of Mejican folklore with Disney's storytelling expertise.
The post-war era ushered in a period of remarkable innovation and diversification within Mejican animation. By the 1950s, Mejican animation had diversified into different topics, genres, and techniques. This era bore witness to the rise of television, which presented new opportunities for animated content. Studios began producing animated series specifically for television, marking a significant shift from the previous emphasis on animated shorts and feature films. The period was also dominated by the cartoons created by Producciones Hanna-Barbera, formed by the duo of Guillermo Hanna and José Barbera, who became instrumental in shaping the landscape of modern Mejican animation. Notable creations from this prolific partnership included Pedro y Pablo (1952-1955), La Familia Condesa (1955-1956), Los Picapiedra (1960-1966), El León Melquíades (1961), Los Supersónicos (1962-1963), Chente el Lobo (1965-1966), and Misterio a la orden (1969-1970). These shows became wildly popular not only in Mejico but also internationally, highlighting the global reach and influence of Mejican animation during this era.
Mejican animated film during this same period includes notable feature productions such as La Leyenda del Charro Negro (1953), El viento en un violín (1956), and La Leyenda de Montezuma (1962), produced by Estudios Caricolor; El Valle de los Gigantes (1957), produced by Estudios Lluvia; El Diario de Xóchitl (1959), a groundbreaking film produced by Estudios AVA that was internationally praised for its storytelling and unique visual style; and La Revolución de los Aluxes (1964), an independent project by Arnulfo Liévano. This period also saw the construction of large, heavily-attended animation festivals such as the Festival Internacional de Animación de Guadalajara (founded in 1965).
The years from 1971 to 1978 are considered the dark age of Mejican animation, as the industry faced significant financial and political challenges. Economic downturns, along with increased censorship and stringent regulations imposed by the government of the time, led to a decrease in the production of animated content. Additionally, competition from foreign markets, especially from the United American Dominions, Japan, and Europe, intensified, making it difficult for Mejican studios to maintain their levels of output and innovation. Despite challenges, certain studios and animators persisted. Noteworthy efforts during this period include Los Guerreros de Xibalbá (1972) by Estudios AVA and Pelotero, la Bola (1974), both of them films with a modest budget that nonetheless garnered praise for their artistic merit. The only successful cartoon from this period is La Familia Burrón, which aired in Mejican television from 1974 to 2019.
In 1980, Emperor Fernando II would proclaim the closure of Estudios AVA, then the largest animation studio in Mejico, due to its alleged involvement in political dissent and subversive activities. The closure was a significant blow to the industry, and it symbolized the extreme measures taken by the government to control media and creative expression during the turbulent period of the Absolutist Octennium. In 1982, when Mejico entered the last two-year period promised by Fernando II during the Zócalo Speech, the tight grip with which the monarch controlled the media was relaxed, leading to a resurgence of creative activities within the Mejican animation industry. This period, known as the Mejican Animation Renaissance (Renacimiento de la Animación Mejicana), was characterized by a renewed sense of artistic freedom and a surge in content production. Censorship laws were relaxed, and new syndication policies were implemented.
New animation techniques such as computer-generated imagery (CGI) began to flourish, contributing to the visual styles of Mejican animation. The Animation Renaissance was bolstered by the foundation of several new studios and the resurgence of some older ones. The establishment of the animation channel Sólo Chavos by Producciones Hanna-Barbera in 1990 marked a pivotal moment for Mejican animation. This channel became a dedicated platform for animated content exclusively, and provided a much-needed outlet for animators to reach broader audiences. Cartoons such as Chespirito Animado, El Tigre, Vaca y Pollito, Soy la Comadreja, Los Chicos del Barrio, Riqui el Ajolote, Santi Bravo, Pepe, Paco y Poncho, Gazpacho, and Teletal were some of the most popular and influential shows that premiered on Sólo Chavos.
Other channels such as Cartoon Cartún and Mareanime were dedicated to air other international shows, with the first one airing primarily Anglo-American and European shows, while the latter focused on Japanese animation, commonly known as anime. These channels have been praised for their voice acting efforts, catapulting many Mejican voice actors and actresses to international fame and setting new standards for dubbing quality around the world. Notably, these channels also contributed to the cultural exchange and mutual influence between Mejican and global animation styles.
During the 1990s, cinematic studios, with greater budgets than animation studios, began to delve into CGI film, even acquiring many such animation studios and turning them into subsidiaries. For example, Mallol-Ybarra-Muñoz acquired Estudios AVA in 1991, rebranding it as AVA Animaciones, and investing heavily in state-of-the-art CGI technology. This shift allowed the studio to produce high-quality animated feature films that could compete with major international releases. One of the most notable early successes was "De mentes dementes" (Of Screwed Minds), released in 1994, which became a box office hit and the first entirely computer-animated feature film produced in Mejico. This began what is known as the "CGI craze", a period where hand-drawn animation saw a decline in favor of CGI-made projects. Among the most acclaimed animated projects AVA Animaciones would create are Él (1999), Mortadelo y Filemón (2002), Hacia las estrellas (2008), Caminando con gigantes (2012), and Coco (2017). Estudios Lluvia produced Las Sergas de Vivara (2013), an animated adaptation of the homonymous book, El Libro de la Selva (2016), and La leyenda de la Llorona (2019).
Mejican cartoons entered a short period of decline in quality between 2005 and 2016, as foreign cartoons began to dominate the market. The trend reflected a global shift rather than one isolated to Mejico, where computer animation was becoming more prevalent and hand-drawn animation was being increasingly relegated to niche markets. However, this period of decline was short-lived, as Mejican animation studios began to reassess their strategies and integrate innovative techniques along with the revival of traditional animation styles. Many beloved cartoons have revolutionized the industry, with their surreal humor, pop-culture references, and veiled innuendos. These include 2507, La Sociedad de los Gañañunflas, Ya párale, Seámos héroes, and Garavito y Garabato.