Veteran Argentinian film and TV producer Jorge Rodriguez, is goosing up his company’s recent entry into the animation business. Rodriguez is head of Buenos Aires-based RedLojo Entertainment. Known for tele-novelas such as Salvame Maria and Paraiso Rock, Rodriguez plans to increase the budgets and frequency of releases of his ani features and expand his company’s distribution network to compete with the likes of DreamWorks Animation and Disney, according to a story in Variety.

“We’re following the steps of the big studios with the goal of getting wide international distribution,” Rodriguez tells the trade journal. “You can’t make money with only a domestic release. You have to go abroad.”

RedLojo’s animation arm, Indiecito, produced Patoruzito in 2004. It sold 2.1 million tickets, in third place for the year behind Shrek 2 and The Passion of the Christ. As a direct result, Cartoon Network Latin America signed a two-picture co-production deal with the studio in 2005. The pact also called for two 10-episode series for cable.

Rodrigeuz says Indiecito plans to increase its output to two films a year, and to expand international distribution. Rodriguez claims he can make a $20 million production in Argentina for $3 million. By 2008-09, Indiecito plans to create its own characters to boost sales.