Pretty in Pink!

Studio 100’s colorful new project, Flamingo Flamenco, features an unforgettable feathered heroine and a positive message.

Afun, flamenco-dancing flamingo finds her true calling in Studio 100 Media’s charming new CG-animated feature, Flamingo Flamenco. The movie, which is being showcased at the European Film Market this month is written by Rob Sprackling (Gnomeo and Juliet, The Queen’s Corgi).

Thorsten Wegener, director of business operations and producer at Studio 100 Media, tells us the pitch for the movie was so great that it immediately caught his attention. “We met Rob in Bordeaux at the Cartoon Movie event in 2020,” he says. “He pitched us the project and we knew instantly that we wanted to take it on.”

Wegener, whose many credits include Mia and me: The Hero of Centopia and the recent Maya the Bee movies, believes Flamingo

Flamenco has an exceptional quality that makes it stand out in the extremely competitive animation landscape. “It delivers on many levels for a family audience,” he explains. “It’s a great story, the characters are rich and engaging. It has bags of comedy but is also very moving at times and the music and dance make it a really entertaining visual and aural treat. And finally, who doesn’t love flamingos? They must be one of the most unique, graceful, and iconic creatures on earth, it seems almost bizarre that nobody has made an animated film about them before!”

Overcoming Adversity

Flamingo Flamenco centers on Rosie, a fun, uninhibited, dance-crazy bird, who loses her much-loved older sister when the flock is attacked by a hateful pack of podencos (Spanish hunting dogs) whilst doing their annual courting dance. Consequently, the dance is cancelled to protect the flock. Rosie grows up a shadow of her former self, robbed of the love of her sister and her means of expression. Then, when a carefree, exuberant lizard named Carlos encourages her to dance once again, it rekindles her inner flame. She soon transforms back into her old confident self, falls in love, and then leads her flock to face down the podencos and dance once again.

“The movie was conceived and written by acclaimed screenwriter Rob Sprackling, who has also created and wrote the original screenplays for the $200 million grossing Gnomeo & Juliet and the $50 million grossing The Queen’s Corgi,” says Wegener. “He has a great track record of creating hits and across an award-winning career has worked with most major Hollywood studios and for many years at Aardman Animations in the U.K, working on movies such as Shaun the Sheep and Early Man. He creates original stories with heart and humor and is a master storyteller.”

The producer also notes that the subject matter of the movie (pink flamingos) demands a vibrant colour palette. He adds, “Also, the backdrop of the exotic Fuente de

Piedra lagoon in Andalucia,

Spain — which is home to the second biggest flock of flamingos in Europe — will ensure the film is a visual treat for the audience. Finally, this film is all about dance as a means of expressing your true emotions, so the animation needs to capture all that beauty, passion, and magic. 3D animation feels like the best way to bring this to life, in a bold style, not dissimilar to the Blue Sky movie, Rio.” Wegener and his team hope the film will appeal to audiences on several levels. “For one, it is a joyful, moving, love story, filled with music and dance,” he says. “On another, it is the tale of a young girl, who, having suffered personal trauma, learns to rekindle the flame in her heart and dance again. Finally, it is the story of a migrant flock who must fight for their right to remain in their beloved adopted home. It will be a funny, exciting, romantic visual spectacle that will lift the heart, along with an important message — the acceptance of other cultures and the power of the spirit to overcome adversity.” ◆

Flamingo Flamenco is set for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026. The script is already finished, and the design work is underway this spring. It will be produced by Studio 100 Media in Germany with co-producer 3Doubles in Spain. For more info, visit studio100film.com