21ª Summit, Conference and International Film
Festival of Animation, Visual Effects and Video Games
Animayo G.C. 2025
Trailer Animayo Gran Canaria 2026
Animayo hosts the world premiere of the exhibition
“The Visual World of Alan Bodner”, a key figure in
international animation • 15-04-2026The 21st edition of Animayo Gran Canaria will host the world premiere of the exhibition “The Visual World of Alan Bodner”, a star guest and one of the most recognised figures in contemporary animation art direction, with a career linked to iconic productions such as The Iron Giant, Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb and Looney Tunes.
The exhibition, made up of 46 pieces, brings together a carefully curated selection of graphic work and assemblage pieces that invite visitors into Bodner’s creative universe, where animation’s distinctive visual language coexists with a deeply personal artistic proposal of great expressive power. His compositions, ranging from high-quality digital prints to three-dimensional structures, explore territories that oscillate between the surreal, the narrative and the geometric.
Alan Bodner’s work is rooted in a visual language of great solidity, linked to contemporary auteur animation, where art direction and storytelling coexist with remarkable formal maturity. His work stands out for its ability to function simultaneously as a high-impact visual image and as a narrative piece, achieving an unusual balance between the conceptual, the emotional and the aesthetic.
One of his most distinctive traits is his visual economy. Bodner manages to convey atmosphere and depth with great restraint in the use of elements, removing any unnecessary artifice. This formal refinement gives his work an especially sophisticated expressive power. With a clear cinematic sensibility and a strong influence from visual development for film and animation, his compositions are not only aesthetic, but also structural and narrative, building coherent, recognisable visual worlds full of personality.
His exhibition spans both his personal artistic production and his career in the animation industry, including pieces developed for internationally renowned titles and studios. Among them are works associated with The Iron Giant (Warner Bros.), Kim Possible and Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure (Disney Television Animation), Looney Tunes (Warner Bros.), Mickey Mouse Funhouse (Disney Channel) and Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem (Universal Studios), together with a series of original authorial works inspired by iconic figures from music and contemporary culture. A combination that allows visitors to understand the evolution of his visual language: from storytelling applied to animation to his freest and most personal expression. [Complete list of works in this exhibition available upon press request].
As mentioned, throughout his more than 25-year career, Alan Bodner has developed his work as an art director for leading studios and production companies such as The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., DreamWorks and Cartoon Network. Among his works, in addition to those already mentioned, are titles such as Mighty Mouse, The Fat Albert Show, Heckle & Jeckle and Pee Wee’s Playhouse, which make up his earliest projects, followed by the Looney Tunes shorts featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Sylvester & Tweety, along with other credits including Phineas and Ferb, The Replacements, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, Neighbors from Hell, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee and the classic Bugs Bunny short Carrotblanca.
The creative process of Alan Bodner is spontaneous, unpredictable and often chaotic. Shapes and objects are abstract, disparate —even conflicting— yet ultimately coherent. His artistic work is exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States —including the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills— and ranges from pop surrealist prints to multi-level geometric assemblages.
Bodner’s limited-edition Giclée prints combine a complete command of digital technology. His vibrant and theatrical compositions bring to life a colourful collection of original characters, personalities and monsters set within surreal and complex scenarios. Drawing on cultural references to the past, the present and his personal vision of the future, Bodner combines, distorts and exaggerates in order to achieve an emotional effect, resulting in works that are always engaging and captivating.
Raised in Portland, Oregon, within a large family of dancers, musicians, toy distributors and fashion designers, Bodner’s childhood was marked by an overload of creative forces that nourished a timeless personality: an esoteric mix of the Road Runner, Peter Pan and Mr. Machine from Ideal. After an adolescence inspired by Erté, Miró and mid-century pop art, Bodner moved to Los Angeles and developed his talent at Art Center College of Design.
Based in Los Angeles (USA), Bodner combines his work in the audiovisual industry as an art director on productions linked to Disney with the development of his artistic practice. His presentation at Animayo marks the first time this collection is shown to the public in a complete exhibition format.
An exhibition that forms part of the 21st edition of Animayo Gran Canaria, an event held within the framework of “Gran Canaria, the island of my life”. With free admission for the general public subject to venue capacity, it may be visited from May 6 to 9, from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 17:30 to 21:00, in the “Manolo Millares & Elvireta Escobio” hall at the Centro de Iniciativas de La Fundación La Caja de Canarias, CICCA (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain), Animayo’s main venue. Exhibition with an educational nature. The copyright of the images belongs to their respective owners.
CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF ANIMAYO
A new edition that celebrates Animayo as «an internationally consolidated platform capable of connecting talent, industry and market, which 21 years ago began as a regional initiative in ‘The island of my life’», featuring in its programme more than 40 star guests and speakers from Europe, the United States and Canada, linked to studios such as Pixar, Disney, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Skydance Animation, Framestore, Blur Studio, Gigglebug Entertainment, Heebo Entertainment and Platige Image.
Led by these star guests, the 21st Animayo Gran Canaria, the only animation festival in Spain that qualifies for the Oscar® Awards, will host a programme featuring 13 master classes; 12 educational talks; 6 workshops, 6 International Competition Sections, in addition to premieres and exclusive content, around twenty stands from artists, schools and universities; more than 20 hours of recruitment sessions, portfolio reviews and signings; and 3 panels and talks.
And, in the words of its creator, director and producer Damián Perea, «there are festivals where stories are screened, and there are festivals where they begin. And that is Animayo, a project made by and for people where talent is not only shown; it connects». [PR. The 21st edition of Animayo Gran Canaria will connect talent with the global elite of the sector from May 6 to 9: https://www.animayo.com/?accion=news3&id=253]
Animayo Gran Canaria 2026 is made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria – La Isla de Mi Vida; the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – candidate city for European Capital of Culture 2031; the Government of the Canary Islands through the Canary Islands Institute for Cultural Development, Turismo de Islas Canarias and Proexca; Turismo de Gran Canaria; Fundación La Caja de Canarias; as well as production companies, studios, schools, universities and private companies, for continuing to promote culture, education and the audiovisual industry on the island.
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