Alberto Vázquez’s ‘Decorado’ Debuts New Stills And Poster Ahead Of Fantastic Fest World Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

Fantastic Fest, the U.S.’s largest genre cinema celebration, will host the world premiere of Decorado, the new animated feature from acclaimed Spanish director Alberto Vázquez. The festival runs September 18–25 in Austin, Texas.

Cartoon Brew has an exclusive first look at several new images from the film, offering a glimpse of Vázquez’s signature visual style ahead of its debut.

Best known for his adult animated features Birdboy: The Forgotten Children and Unicorn Wars, Vázquez returns with a darkly satirical fable that blends surrealism, humor, and an incredible attention to detail.

First explored as a 2016 short film of the same name, Decorado now arrives as a full-length feature with art direction by José Luis Ágreda and animation led by Pamela Poltronieri.

Decorado follows Arnold, a middle-aged mouse in the throes of an existential crisis. As his marriage collapses and paranoia sets in, he begins to suspect that his entire life, his partner, his job, his city, might be nothing more than a grand charade orchestrated by a powerful megacorporation.

Explaining the project’s origins, Vázquez says:

The story of ‘Decorado’ was born out of a long journey filled with coincidences, artistic discoveries, and the people who made this feature film possible. I have always been interested in addressing contemporary issues through fantasy. Metaphor and fable allow us to tell stories from a different place, offering new perspectives on reality.

The director’s use of animal characters is deliberate, continuing a hallmark of his storytelling:

Animals, untethered from a specific time or place, belong to all cultures; they come from fables and classic tales but also from the origins of comics and animation. That is why they are deeply rooted in our collective imagination and universally understood. Besides, animals are more beautiful in every sense than humans.

The film combines a distinctive engraving-inspired aesthetic with a sharp critique of consumerism and social control, embodied in the fictional corporation ALMA (Almighty Limitless Megacorporative Agency).

For Vázquez, the film is ultimately about the search for meaning in a manufactured world:

Arnold faces a multiple crisis — existential, professional, emotional, and romantic — and his personal battle against this prefabricated society drives his quest for freedom. The film becomes a critical fable about the meaning of life and human liberty, revealing that the only possible way out lies in genuine, heartfelt bonds. True friendship and love emerge as salvation in a world saturated with superficial relationships and hollow work.

Produced by Abano Producións, Uniko, The Glow, María y Arnold AIE, and Sardinha Em Lata, Decorado is supported by broadcasters and institutions across Spain and Portugal, with international sales handled by Le Pacte. Following its premiere in Austin, the film will make its domestic premiere at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival in early October before being released in Spanish theaters on October 24, distributed by Barton Films.

With its auteur vision and contemporary themes, Decorado’s Fantastic Fest premiere underscores the rising profile of animation in global genre cinema and cements Alberto Vázquez’s global reputation as one of the most daring and distinctive voices in contemporary filmmaking.