Decorado

Decorado
Film poster
Directed byAlberto Vázquez
Screenplay by
  • Alberto Vázquez
  • F. Xavier Manuel Ruiz
Based onDecorado
by Alberto Vázquez
Produced by
  • Chelo Loureiro
  • Iván Miñambres
Edited byEstanis Bañuelos
Music byJoseba Beristain
Production
companies
  • Abano Producións
  • Uniko Estudio Creativo
  • Glow Animation
  • Sardinha Em Lata
  • María y Arnold AIE
Distributed byBarton Films (Spain)
Release dates
  • 21 September 2025 (2025-09-21) (Fantastic Fest)
  • 24 October 2025 (2025-10-24) (Spain)
Running time
95 minutes
Countries
  • Spain
  • Portugal
LanguageSpanish

Decorado is a 2025 black comedy-drama film directed by Alberto Vázquez from a screenplay he co-wrote with F. Xavier Manuel Ruiz. Based on the animated short film of the same name by the director himself, the film is a joint Spanish-Portuguese co-production.

Plot

Mouse Arnold, a resident of the city of Anywhere, is in a downward spiral, prompting him to wonder if everything around him is fake, as if it was a scenery.[1][2]

Production

At the 2023 Valencia-based Weird Market, Alberto Vázquez pitched Decorado, then reportedly in pre-production, as "an existentialist fable about the meaning of life and the crises we go through".[3] He mentioned The Truman Show, the classical Mickey Mouse cartoons and Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage as references.[3] The film is a Spanish-Portuguese co-production by Abano Producións along with UniKo Estudio Creativo, Glow Animation, Sardinha Em Lata, and María y Arnold AIE.[1][4]

José Luis Ágreda worked as art director and Pamela Poltronieri as animation director.[5]

Release

Decorado had its world premiere at the 20th Fantastic Fest on 21 September 2025.[6][7] It screened at the 58th Sitges Film Festival in October 2025 for its Spanish premiere.[8][9] Its festival run also included selections for screenings in the competitive slate of the Ottawa International Animation Film Festival,[10] the 'Cult' strand of the 2025 BFI London Film Festival,[11] and in the competitive lineup of the 8th Animation Is Film Festival (for its West Coast premiere).[12] It was released theatrically in Spain on 24 October 2025 by Barton Films.[8][5]

GKIDS picked up North American distribution rights to the film, scheduling a theatrical release with both English-language subtitles and dubbing for 15 May 2026.[13]

Accolades

Award / Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sitges Film Festival 19 October 2025 Best Feature Film Decorado Nominated [14]
Forqué Awards 13 December 2025 Best Animation Film Won
Feroz Awards 24 January 2026 Best Comedy Film Nominated
CEC Medals 23 February 2026 Best Animation Film Won
Goya Awards 28 February 2026 Best Animated Film Won [18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Decorado". Spanish Kaleidoscope. Ministerio de Cultura. 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ "A Year Of International Achievements And New Challenges For Basque Animation". Cartoon Brew. 12 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Jiménez, Jesús (29 September 2023). "Alberto Vázquez: "'Decorado' es una fábula sobre el sentido de la vida y las crisis que atravesamos". rtve.es.
  4. ^ "El cine español de animación que llegará en el futuro (I)". Rubik Audiovisual. 15 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b Lang, Jamie (18 August 2025). "Alberto Vázquez's 'Decorado' Debuts New Stills And Poster Ahead Of Fantastic Fest World Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)". Cartoon Brew.
  6. ^ Grobar, Matt (14 August 2025). "Fantastic Fest Lineup: 'Black Phone 2,' 'Sisu: Road To Revenge,' ' Shelby Oaks,' 'Primate,' 'Vicious' & More Set For 20th Anniversary Edition". Deadline Hollywood.
  7. ^ "Film guide". fantasticfest.com. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Alberto Vázquez estrenará en Sitges su nueva película de animación, 'Decorado'". Europa Press. 16 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Decorado, nueva película de Alberto Vázquez, ya tiene fecha de estreno". Radix Animación. 17 July 2025.
  10. ^ Sarto, Dan (11 September 2025). "6 Animated Features to Compete at OIAF 2025". Animation World Network.
  11. ^ Tabbara, Mona (3 September 2025). "BFI London Film Festival unveils 2025 line-up". ScreenDaily.
  12. ^ Mendoza, Leia (17 September 2025). "Animation Is Film Unveils 2025 Festival Lineup: 'Arco,' 'Scarlet,' 'Paranorman: The Thrifting' and More". Variety.
  13. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (23 March 2026). "Alberto Vázquez's 'Decorado' Gets NorAm Release in May with GKIDS". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  14. ^ "We Complete the 2025 line-up: Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Park Chan-wook, Carmen Maura, and Other Big Names in Contemporary Fantastic Genre". Sitges Film Festival. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  15. ^ Quijano, F.D. (13 December 2025). "Premios Forqué 2025: la lista completa de todos los ganadores". El Cultural – via El Español.
  16. ^ Sabaté, Jordi (27 November 2025). "'Los domingos' arrasa en las nominaciones de los Premios Feroz con nueve candidaturas". eldiario.es.
  17. ^ Arias, Mariajo (24 February 2026). "'Los domingos' copa un palmarés de las Medallas CEC con premios para 'Anatomía de un instante'". Kinótico.
  18. ^ Cabeza, Elisabet (13 January 2026). "'Sundays', 'Sirât' lead 40th Goya Awards nominations". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 13 January 2026.