‘Heidi’ Fuels 3Doubles’ Pan-Regional Expansion in Spain

“Heidi: The Rescue of the Lynx,” co-produced by Germany’s Studio 100, Belgium’s Hotel Hungarian and Spain’s 3Doubles – with much of the work carried out at its Bizkaia-based subsidiary Sumendi Uhartea – opened this week in Spanish theaters after earlier bows in Germany and the U.K.

3Doubles’ trajectory mirrors the broader rise of the Canary Islands as an animation hub. Backed by the Special Zone tax regime, the Canary Islands’ animation industry has scaled in under a decade from two small shops to over 15 studios generating some 800 jobs a year, delivering work for Warner Bros., Netflix, Apple, Amazon and Disney, with local talent contributing to “Arcane,” “Space Jam 2,” “Miraculous Ladybug” and “Tara Duncan.”

With the creation of Sumendi Uhartea in Bizkaia, 3Doubles is extending that model to mainland Spain, tapping into incentives across regions.

Still, Sánchez insists that Europe’s family film gap remains a central challenge. “Our impact on audiences is still small,” he said. “But with projects like ‘Heidi’ and our upcoming originals, we’re trying to change that.” 

“Heidi’s” release signals the Canary Islands studio’s growing clout, spotlighting the region’s role as an animation hub serving Europe’s still underserved family film market.

“In Europe, films are financed through complex co-productions involving multiple countries. While that helps pool resources, it can make marketing and distribution more difficult,” 3Doubles CEO Darío Sánchez told Variety. “Even when European films are produced, we struggle to find a wide audience outside our home country.”

That imbalance was evident at the Spanish box office, where “Heidi” ranked as the highest-grossing independent release but was crowded out by 11 other titles. “It gives you an idea of how Spanish animated films fare against those from the U.S. or Japan,” Sánchez added.Founded in 2017 in the Canary Islands, 3Doubles has grown rapidly. “We started with a different vision compared to most Spanish studios, and that was to bet on permanent employment contracts,” Sánchez said, stressing stable teams and accumulated know-how as key to building quality and efficiency.

Primarily a service provider, 3Doubles has expanded into co-productions, often as a minority partner to close financing gaps, as on “Heidi” and Mexico’s “Rock Bottom,” picked up for sales by Odin’s Eye Animation. The studio has also moved into majority co-production with “Flamingo Flamenco,” slated for 2027 and written by “Heidi” scribe Rob Sprackling (“Gnomeo & Juliet”). Also, it is developing “Ages of Madness,” a Lovecraft-inspired horror anthology.Originally steered by Studio 100 and Hotel Hungarian, “Heidi” landed at 3Doubles in December 2023 when Studio 100 asked the Canarian outfit to take over rigging, layout, animation and CFX to meet delivery deadlines. “We had already been working with Studio 100 for several years, so everything happened very quickly,” Sánchez recalled. “We had to reorganize the teams, but “Heidi” was worth it, as it is a very well-known and beloved IP in Spain.”

To stay true to the property’s roots, animators rewatched Nippon Animation’s 1970s TV series, a touchstone for generations of European viewers. “It was one of our main premises,” Sánchez explained. “It was a very interesting challenge that the animators gladly embraced.”