Leo Messi becomes the protagonist of an animated series made in Tenerife

The Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi will soon become the protagonist of an animated series, whose trailer is being developed in the Atlantis Animation studio, based on the Canary Island of Tenerife, in collaboration with Sony Music and the footballer's management company. The production will be aimed at all audiences, and "will immerse viewers in the epic adventures of a young Messi who overcomes titanic challenges while navigating the vibrant world of video games," according to the press release issued by the company. No further details on the content have emerged. It is known that the plot, however, places the Argentine in a world of video games in which several universes coexist. Its promoters described the series on Thursday as a "modern and innovative" product.

More information

Learn animation and special effects in the Canary Islands with 'Star Wars' and 'The House of the Dragon'

In its communication, Atlantis also stresses that the series is "committed to transmitting the fundamental values of sport and the lessons" that can be seen on the screen. "Messi's passion for football will serve as a backdrop for moving and captivating content, which will highlight the moral values that characterize the global icon," the company said. The animation studio assures that Lionel Messi himself "is excited about this project". "Since I was little, I have always liked cartoons, and my children are also big fans," says the footballer in the note. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to participate in an animation project, because it allows me to make one of my dreams come true."

Behind this production is Raúl Carbó, an engineer, animator and special effects technician from San Sebastian, resident in Montpellier for 30 years. There he founded 16 years ago the production company In Efecto (now it has changed its name to Atlantis Animation). For 14 years he dedicated himself to advertising, mainly for companies such as Michelin or BIC. At one point in the past decade, however, Carbó decided to tackle longer animation projects. His first major work was Tara Duncan, a character whose books had already been adapted for television more than a decade ago. "The opportunity arose to do an animation project with this character," Carbó explained to EL PAÍS in early 2022. "And for this we decided to settle in Tenerife, take advantage of its tax incentives and its facilities and thus make a series of higher quality." Tara Duncan was the first series entirely produced in the Canary Islands and the most valued on Disney Channel.

"We're a service provider, but we try to bring creativity to everything we do," says Carbó. "Our idea is to bet on very premium and qualitative projects. So Messi is undoubtedly one of them, a project of global scale that for Atlantis is the next step."

The Canary Islands are growing in sectors such as digital animation or video games, thanks to both the tax incentives provided by the Canary Islands Special Zone and the facilities in all areas offered to this type of companies. "The Canarian animation industry practically did not exist in 2016," explain official sources. " The year 2022 ended in the Canary Islands with more than 30 digital arts studios (video games and animation), which employ 1,200 people. "It's not just the incentives," Raúl Carbó himself completed a year ago. "We are supported in the area of innovation, and it provides a solid foundation for building lasting businesses. And this may lead to the creation of a European animation hub: there is talent, there is support, there are incentives."

So much so, that the islands have become the location where successful series such as League of Legends have been developed, created in 2015 from the universe of the video game and which became the most watched series on Netflix for three weeks. The studio in charge of the development of the series has been the French Fortiche, who has divided the work into three offices. Two in Paris and Montpellier (south of France), and the third, in Gran Canaria, the island where they settled in October 2020. They have also settled in the Anima Kitchent Islands, a group that has offices in Mexico and Madrid (Cranston Academy or La Liga de los 5); the video game studio Drakhar (creators of Hotel Transylvania or The Paw Patrol) and the production company B-Water (Treasure Hunters, Violet, the Naughty Fairy), a firm of 90 employees owned by the German animator Dirk Hampel, who in 2018 decided to move to the Canary Islands.

You can follow EL PAÍS TELEVISIÓN on Twitter or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.