Finnish kids’ prodco Gigglebug opens animation studio on Canary Islands

The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti from Gigglebug Entertainment

Finnish kids’ animation company Gigglebug Entertainment has opened a studio on the Canary Islands.

Located in Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria, the new studio has a unified pipeline with Gigglebug’s existing Helsinki-based studio, which handles both original IP and service work.

Gigglebug’s CEO and co-founder Anttu Harlin, creative director and co-founder Joonas Utti and MD Beth Parker are heading up the new studio, with seven Gigglebug alumni artists and staff relocating from Helsinki to work there.

The aim is to expand the studio by drawing on the growing talent pool on the Canaries, as well as attracting talent from across the world, with the goal of scaling the studio to around 150 employees.

Gigglebug currently operates three parallel production pipelines to support its major productions and works across features, series and digital content. Its clients include Disney, Paramount-owned Nickelodeon, Warner Bros Animation, Thunderbird Entertainment in Canada’s Atomic Cartoons, and pubcasters DR in Denmark and YLE in Finland.

Recent series include The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti and 101 Dalmatian Street for Disney, Best & Bester for Nickelodeon International and The Last Kids on Earth for Atomic Cartoons, which streams on Netflix. Other recent credits include 2023 feature Merry Little Batman for Warner Bros Animation.

“To meet our growing pipeline, we conducted a very biased and non-scientific ‘Gigglebug Quality of Life Index Measurement’ and picked the best bits of Europe for animation talent, the far north and the far south. Ice and sun. Helsinki and Las Palmas. You won’t find these two paired in your cookie cutter tourist guide,” Harlin joked.

“Alongside the impressive tax breaks for partners, there’s such amazing potential in the Canaries. We’re committed to investing in our people and culture, and creating the best possible experience for every individual working with Gigglebug, whether that’s in the icy capital of Finland or the glorious sun of Gran Canaria.”