Lutgardo Fernandez
“Do you know what the problem is with this world? Everyone wants a magic solution to their problem and everyone refuses to believe in magic.” – Mad Hater. ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Not everyone refused to believe in magic.
Lutgardo Fernandez did it from the beginning being a boy with artistic talent and willing to fulfil his dream of working in animated films. When he arrived in Madrid, he started working in a small studio, he recalls working at “Tridente Animation, where I started in the layout department for traditional 2D animation series and films”
animation series and films” He says, “Sergio Pablos gave me the opportunity to start as a Character Designer in his studio (SPA Sergio Pablos Animation) for the Warner Animation film Smallfoot.” Sergio Pablos directed “Klaus” an animated story that tells the original of Santa Claus, in a 2D format. It should be noted that Klaus was the winner of & Annie Awards and the BAFTA Award for best animated film in 2020, it was also nominated at the Goya Awards for Best animated film. Lutgardo recalls that “At IIion studios I was in charge of the character design for two films ( “Luck”, directed by Alessandro Carloni and Peggy Holmes) and” Spellbound” (dricted by Vicky Jenson). IIion Studios no longer exists as it was transformed into Skydance animation, under the creative direction of John Lasseter”. Fernandez tells that while working at Skydance Animation, “producer Jeff Herman called me to work as a character designer on two productions for Dreamworks animation studios.”
One of these films is directed by director Elaine Bogan and the other by the African – American Copeland brothers, it is obvious that the creator recognises the fact that the animation industry has been mainly and traditionally a male industry. From the beginning it was like that, “At Disney Studios, ever since the studio started doing big productions, women were relegated to the ‘Ink and Paint’ department and only a few women stood out as artists (Mary Blair among these few). Fortunately, this has changed a lot and now I can tell you that at Skydance Animation (studio I worked for until a few months ago) the president of the company is Holly Edwards and the two films that are currently in production are directed by women, Peggy Holmes and Vicky Jenson”.
Fernandez explains what her work is like and how social changes are also reflected in the characters that appear in current animated films with protagonists of different ethnicities and with greater female presence: “at the character design level, when we face design of a female character has nothing to do with those fragile and delicate princesses that we have always seen. The sex of protagonist does not matter if the story is good, in fact, sometimes the sex of the protagonist of the film can change during the production process, without substantially changing the plot of the story, this means that the hero can be a heroine or the other way around. Luckily, languid and marriageable Princesses and conceited enchanted princes were left forgotten in the dungeon of some castle.” He is currently work for Netflix with Cory Loftis (“Wreck It Ralph,” “Zootopia”) on a series of films based on the Roald DahI stories. When art, technique and style comes together in a perfect conjunction… creators at the highest level emerge, like Lutgardo Fernandez. And remember, as Walt Disney said:” Don’t sleep to rest, but sleep to dream because dreams are to be fulfilled.” Always dear Lut.
And I, as the Mad Hatter, repeat again that everyone wants a magic solution – said a guy who was in the study, who was not sure whether his name was KIaus or Smallfoot. I resign from my position and fly away in a rainbow. Don’t take me seriously (mocking laughs), the show must go on.