Back to Glorious Guadalajara: A Sneak Peek at Pixelatl Festival ’25

This article was written for the September-October ’25 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 352).

It’s no secret that one of the best ways to get a taste of Latin America’s vibrant animation scene is to check out the dynamic Pixelatl Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico. This year’s edition, which takes place September 9-13, promises to be another star-studded celebration of the art from and the region’s up-and-coming animation talent. The festival’s dynamic director and CEO, José Inesta, was kind enough to give us an early sneak peek of the 2025 edition:

Animation Magazine: Congrats on putting together another fantastic edition of Pixelatl, José. Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect to see at the 2025 edition?

José Inesta: I can tell you that it’s going to be different. In addition to the regular animation executives that participate in every market, we are bringing successful content creators that work not only for the network, but directly through the audiences. We will have some success stories to learn, like the Ibermedia Next program, but we will also have high technical talks to help develop the skills of the audience.

What do you think makes Pixelatl different from other similar events around the world?

Pixelatl Festival is where Latin American imagination meets the world. We always have fresh content ideas and a lot of IPs are born at the event (Frankelda, Rey Misterio, Villainous, etc.). On top of that, we are more than a market, we are an event with a lot of heart that is changing the local ecosystem. We can see collaboration between countries, the interest of foreign audiences in our stories.

What are some of the big highlights this year?

We will have the creator of Ultra Duck, Edgar Delgado, who will talk about the comic and the creation of the feature film. Dana Terrace will talk about her new show that will debut very soon, called The Knights of Guinevere. We will also have a lots of Latin American talent like Mighty Animation, the winners of the Emmy for Best International Kids Factual Show; also, the beautiful art of Carolina Fuenmayor; the stop-motion exhibitions of Frankelda from Cinema Fantasma and My Grandfather’s Demons from Sardinha em Lata. We will also showcase Mukira, the new feature film (work in progress) from Dinamitra Animación, as well as a spotlight on Huevocartoon and other projects that are coming soon to theaters and to the home screens. Our program is full of screenings, workshops, masterclasses and exhibitions.

What are the biggest challenges facing you as you prepare the new edition of the festival?

The biggest challenge was to secure sponsorship from the studios. In the past, all the studios wanted to participate, showcase their upcoming content, and promote their films or series. This year because of restructuring, mergers, law suits, debt and other particular issues, they could not support us. What they fail to realize is the importance of the Latin American audience, not only at the box office, but also in consumer products, merchandizing, etc. We are a community that is not represented at all on the screen, and they also don’t support the artists that are entering the industry.

Any exciting new additions to the mix?

We will spotlight four new video games that will be released next year. In addition, we will launch three comic books and one illustrated children’s book. And of course, the participation of Rudo animation studio as our creative partner. The image, the spot, everything they have created for the festival is amazing. We also have two Ibermedia Next panels, one that will talk about the importance of collaboration within Iberoamerica with several success stories and one that will show the importance of open source code for animation. We’re also excited that Uniko, the studio behind Unicorn Wars and Decorado, will celebrate its 15th anniversary at the festival.

What is the most important part of preparing students for the tough job market out there?

The most important lesson is that they need to continue to pursue their dreams despite getting rejections from the industry. Being an artist is hard enough, but being Latin is even more challenging. We have very few showrunners and directors that are given opportunities to succeed, but that shouldn’t make you give up. At Pixelatl, they can meet several showrunners that, against all odds, were able to create shows that are amazing and popular. Students need to continue preparing themselves and keep showing their work on social platforms because you never know who is looking at your work online. Finally, they need to learn about teamwork. Animation is an art that requires a lot of people, and they need to be good artists and great human beings to succeed in this industry.

Has AI impacted the way students prepare for the animation industry today?

Yes! AI is present and everybody is learning to use it. We need to find regulation that pays for all the data that it takes to optimize the processes, but it’s a tool that makes everything faster. One important thing to mention is that good artists will be able to stand out more when everybody produces “normalized” content coming from AI. We lived through the revolution of distribution in the beginning of the century, but I believe we are entering the revolution of the creation process. The future is promising for artists and storytellers. At the end of the day, we need stories because they make us human.

What does the 2025 animation industry look like in Mexico?

This year the animation industry got smaller because of lack of service work from U.S. studios. However, local studios started to develop their own IPs and found local and European financing to develop their own shows. In the future, we will continue to grow thanks to initiatives like Ibermedia Next and co-production treaties between Latin America and Europe.

What are the biggest trends you have seen in the animation business during your travels this year?

The main trend we are seeing is quick and cheap animation overflooding the social platforms. There’s a lot of nonsensical content that is looking to reach the audience quickly in order to change it to make the audience happy. We are also seeing a lot of fear from executives that don’t greenlight projects that are tested and have an audience. Even though the audience is content-savvy, new shows are not being produced and people are getting tired of sequels and spinoffs. On the other hand, we are seeing a lot of brands commissioning shows directly to advertise their products in very short form (less than three minutes) and in a vertical format so that you can watch them on your cellphone.

Final words: Best reasons to attend Pixelatl in 2025?

The people that come to our festival are filled with generosity and are willing to share their knowledge with the audience. On top of that, they are willing to collaborate with one another and inspire each other. Despite the lack of business in the industry, the thirst for original stories always inspires the international audience that comes to the event. It’s a small market with a lot of heart, and people shouldn’t miss it because it’s only through collaboration and enriching each other’s stories that we can create better shows that relate to audiences.

Pixelatl Festival will take place September 9-13 in Guadalajara. Visit elfestival.mx for more information.