Exclusive Interview with Alberto Vázquez on "Decorado": The Dark and Realistic Face of Animation

Director Alberto Vázquez, one of the most original and provocative voices in Spanish animation, shared insights into his latest project, Decorado. In a comprehensive interview with Anime Corner, Vázquez explained how his work, which won the "Best Animated Short Film" at the 2016 Goya Awards, transformed into a massive feature film released in 2025. The film, which is set to reach audiences in North America in May 2026 through GKIDS distribution, elevates the director's signature dark, ironic, and existential themes to new heights.

Vázquez's career is filled with cult works such as Birdboy: The Forgotten Children, which explores the struggle for survival of seemingly cute characters in dark worlds, and Unicorn Wars, an epic critique of war. In Decorado, the director shifts his focus to the individual's alienation within society and the suffocating effects of capitalism. The film follows Arnold, an unemployed mouse who begins to suspect that the world he lives in is actually a giant "set" (decorado) and discovers how a mysterious mega-corporation called ALMA controls their lives.

Providing important clues about his visual style in the interview, Vázquez notes that he was inspired by dystopian works such as The Truman Show and 1984. The film's aesthetic is described as a disturbing fusion of a black-and-white texture reminiscent of 19th-century engravings and the classic Disney and Fleischer animation styles. The director presents the philosophy that "the world is a set and we are just actors" by blending it with modern-day issues such as hyper-connectivity and polarization. Characters like the "Depression Fairy" in the film, in particular, represent art