Wild Robot VFX firm STIM to open Tenerife studio
French animation and VFX company STIM plans more than 100 jobs as it expands into Spain’s Canary Islands under the ZEC tax framework.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
STIM, the French animation and visual effects company with credits on “The Wild Robot,” “The Garfield Movie” and “Coyote vs. Acme,” is setting up a new production center in Tenerife.
The company plans to create more than 100 jobs as it grows its European production operation, according to the announcement. The new outpost, STIM Tenerife, is scheduled to start work in August and is expected to have 60 employees by the end of 2026.
Hiring is already in motion for specialist roles including character modelers, set and prop modelers, look-development artists and supervisors, among other skilled posts.
A Canary Islands bet
STIM is placing the new studio inside the Canary Islands Special Zone, known as ZEC, a low-tax system for qualifying companies based in the Spanish archipelago.
Amélie Houpline, CEO of STIM Tenerife, described the move as a key step in the company’s growth. She said the islands offered access to talent, room to develop and an active creative community.
Houpline said the Tenerife base would help STIM increase output while keeping its artistic and technical standards. She also said the company wants the studio to have a long-term future, create highly qualified jobs and add to the Canary Islands’ production sector.
The new site will also support financing structures across France, Belgium and the Canary Islands, according to STIM. The company said that wider footprint could give producers more ways to structure European animation and VFX financing.
From characters to full production
STIM was founded by Félix Ferrand, Jordan Soler and Benoit Gielly. The company works across 3D animation, VFX and digital production for film, television and advertising.
With operations already in France and Belgium, STIM has grown from a studio focused on characters into a company able to handle work from design and pre-production through final delivery.
For DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot,” STIM worked on facial and body rigging for several characters. Its credits also include Sony’s “The Garfield Movie,” Warner Bros.’ “Coyote vs. Acme,” FX’s Emmy-winning “Shōgun” and the Franco-Belgian animated feature “Girl in the Clouds,” which was selected for Annecy.
A fast-growing animation hub
STIM arrives as the Canary Islands continues to build its animation, VFX and digital arts business. According to figures supplied by ZEC, the archipelago now has more than 30 specialist companies and close to 2,000 professionals in the sector.
Companies operating there include Fortiche, the studio behind “Arcane,” as well as Atlantis Animation, 3 Doubles Producciones, Tomavision, Gigglebug, Amuse Studios and Ánima Kitchent.
Recent growth has also included Surfing Giant Studios’ Tenerife operation and DNEG’s investment in Ánima Kitchent, backed by the Spanish government’s SETT.
ZEC President Pablo Hernández said the islands have moved from having very little animation activity a few years ago to hosting dozens of studios and work linked to major entertainment companies. He said recent investments show the territory is becoming an established player in international animation.
Hernández said the next stage will focus on strengthening local intellectual property, developing original content and bringing in larger international investment. Industry projections cited in the announcement suggest the Canary Islands could reach 3,000 to 4,000 specialized animation and digital-arts jobs in the coming years.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.