{"id":14610,"date":"2026-07-23T12:48:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T07:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=14610"},"modified":"2026-07-23T12:48:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T07:48:41","slug":"stim-opens-canary-islands-animation-hub-plans-more-than-100-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=14610","title":{"rendered":"STIM Opens Canary Islands Animation Hub, Plans More Than 100 Jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tFrench <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/animation\/\" id=\"auto-tag_animation\" data-tag=\"animation\">animation<\/a> and visual effects  company STIM \u2013 whose credits include \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/the-wild-robot\/\" id=\"auto-tag_the-wild-robot\" data-tag=\"the-wild-robot\">The Wild Robot<\/a>,\u201d \u201cThe Garfield Movie\u201d and \u201cCoyote vs. Acme\u201d \u2013 is opening a production center in Spain\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/canary-islands\/\" id=\"auto-tag_canary-islands\" data-tag=\"canary-islands\">Canary Islands<\/a>, with plans to create more than 100 jobs as it expands its European operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSTIM Tenerife is set to begin operating in August and expects to employ 60 people by the end of 2026. Recruitment is already underway for character modelers, set and prop modelers, look-development artists and supervisors, among other high-skilled positions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe company has chosen to establish the operation within the Canary Islands Special Zone, or <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/zec\/\" id=\"auto-tag_zec\" data-tag=\"zec\">ZEC<\/a>, a low-tax regime for qualifying companies operating in the Spanish archipelago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cThe opening of STIM Tenerife in the Canary Islands marks a strategic stage in STIM\u2019s evolution,\u201d said STIM Tenerife CEO Am\u00e9lie Houpline. \u201cWe have found an environment here that brings together talent, strong development potential and a dynamic creative community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe new base, she added, will allow STIM to increase its production capacity \u201cwithout compromising the artistic and technical excellence that defines our identity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tFounded by F\u00e9lix Ferrand, Jordan Soler and Benoit Gielly, STIM specializes in 3D animation, VFX and digital production for film, TV and advertising. With operations in France and Belgium, it has evolved from a character-focused studio into a company capable of handling projects from design and pre-production through to final delivery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSTIM collaborated with DreamWorks Animation on the facial and body rigging of several characters for \u201cThe Wild Robot.\u201d Its other credits include the Sony release \u201cThe Garfield Movie,\u201d Warner Bros.\u2019 \u201cCoyote vs. Acme,\u201d FX\u2019s Emmy-winning \u201cSh\u014dgun\u201d and the Annecy-selected Franco-Belgian toon feature \u201cGirl in the Clouds.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png 1920w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?resize=150,84 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?resize=125,70 125w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?resize=1000,563 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?resize=910,511 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?resize=681,383 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?resize=450,253 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/coyotevsacme.png?resize=250,140 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-line-height-normal lrv-u-font-size-14 u-font-family-neue u-letter-spacing-007-rem u-margin-b-050\">\u2018Coyote vs. Acme\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">\u201cCoyote vs. Acme\u201d<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe Tenerife operation will expand the company\u2019s production capacity while supporting financing structures spanning France, Belgium and the Canary Islands. STIM said that footprint could give producers additional options for assembling European animation and VFX financing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cOur ambition is not limited to producing international projects from the islands,\u201d Houpline said. \u201cWe want to build a studio with a long-term future, generate highly qualified employment and contribute to the development of the Canary Islands ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSTIM\u2019s arrival comes as the archipelago continues to build its animation, VFX and digital-arts sector. According to figures provided by the ZEC, the Canary Islands now host more than 30 specialist companies and close to 2,000 professionals, up from a comparatively small industry less than a decade ago.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20250220-zec_pablo-hernandez-048.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-line-height-normal lrv-u-font-size-14 u-font-family-neue u-letter-spacing-007-rem u-margin-b-050\">ZEC President Pablo Hern\u00e1ndez<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">ZEC President Pablo Hern\u00e1ndez<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tCompanies operating in the islands include Fortiche, the studio behind \u201cArcane,\u201d as well as Atlantis Animation, 3 Doubles Producciones, Tomavision, Gigglebug, Amuse Studios and \u00c1nima Kitchent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tRecent expansion has also included Surfing Giant Studios\u2019 Tenerife operation and DNEG\u2019s investment in \u00c1nima Kitchent, backed by the Spanish government\u2019s SETT, as part of a broader effort to scale the sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cA few years ago, there was practically no animation industry in the Canary Islands,\u201d said ZEC President Pablo Hern\u00e1ndez. \u201cToday, we have dozens of studios, close to 2,000 professionals and projects for some of the world\u2019s largest entertainment companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSTIM\u2019s arrival, he added, shows that the archipelago \u201chas ceased to be a promise and has become an established reality within the international animation industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tHern\u00e1ndez said the significance of the latest investments goes beyond attracting individual companies or productions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWe are seeing the creation of a genuine industrial ecosystem, with local talent, specialist training and companies capable of leading global productions,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have moved from attracting specific projects to attracting permanent centers for decision-making, production and creative development.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe next phase, according to Hern\u00e1ndez, will involve strengthening local intellectual property, developing original content and attracting larger-scale international investment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIndustry projections suggest the Canary Islands could reach between 3,000 and 4,000 specialized animation and digital-arts jobs over the coming years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>French animation and visual effects company STIM \u2013 whose credits include \u201cThe Wild Robot,\u201d \u201cThe Garfield Movie\u201d and \u201cCoyote vs. Acme\u201d \u2013 is opening a production center in Spain\u2019s Canary Islands, with plans to create more than 100 jobs as it expands its European operations. STIM Tenerife is set to begin operating in August and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Wild-Robot.webp?w=990&h=557&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}