“Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp” hits theaters in more than 40 countries with an adventure that is “different—and even better—than the previous ones.”
Source/interview: www.audiovisual451.com
Next Wednesday, August 26, the fourth installment of the most successful Spanish animated film series in history will hit theaters, titled “Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp.” Directed once again by Enrique Gato, the film also features Manuel Burque and Josep Gatell returning as screenwriters, as well as Zacarías M. de la Riva as composer of the soundtrack.
Like its predecessors, this film is a production of Telecinco Cinema, Lightbox Animation Studios, Ikiru Films, Anangu Grup, and Tadeo Films AIE, with the participation of Mediaset España, Movistar Plus, and Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group, funded by the ICAA, supported by the ICEC, and distributed in Spain by Paramount Pictures Spain.
With an official budget of 12.7 million euros, *Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp*—which brings the famous archaeologist back to the big screen four years after his last film appearance and 14 years after the first—received 1.4 million euros in the second round of the ICAA’s general grants for 2023.
The fourth installment builds on the success of the previous three films, which have attracted more than eight million viewers and grossed 47 million euros in Spain. In addition, they were released in more than 40 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania through Paramount Pictures International, grossing over $120 million at the global box office.
Synopsis:
Tadeo and Sara are now the parents of Olimpia (Oli), an adorable and intrepid two-year-old girl. And Momia isn’t taking it well at all that she’s no longer the center of attention. While on vacation in London, Sara follows the trail to a unique object: the magic lamp from *One Thousand and One Nights*. And Momia, overcome with jealousy, makes a wish: to travel back in time to when she was young and everyone loved her. Tadeo and Sara must join forces to prevent Momia from changing the course of history and bring the group back home, to their own time. This new adventure will take them across the Atlantic Ocean from Peru to Greece, and from there to the heart of the Middle East, all the way to the cave of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
‘Tadeo Jones’ Returns to Theaters with Ambition
Just a few days before its simultaneous debut in theaters across more than 40 countries, Audiovisual451 has reviewed the latest developments and details of “Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp” alongside the series’ usual trio of producers: Álvaro Augustín, CEO of Telecinco Cinema; Nico Matji (Lightbox Animation Studios); and Edmon Roch (Ikiru Films).
Audiovisual451: The setup for this new Tadeo Jones adventure is similar to that of the previous films: same team, same production partners, and you’re even planning to release it on the same dates…
Nico Matji: “If it’s proven to work, why change it? For us, in Tadeo’s case, it’s very important to keep the same technical team from film to film, because that learning, that knowledge, and that know-how are what allow us to be agile and achieve higher-quality results in less time. In the production process for each Tadeo Jones feature film—and this is the fourth one now—we’ve invested a great deal of money in IT development, and thanks to that, at Lightbox Animation Studios we’ve managed to put together an entire structure that runs like clockwork.”
Álvaro Augustín: “After releasing three Tadeo Jones movies at the end of August, I think we’ve managed to establish a regular date with our audience. These days, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to draw audiences to theaters, but in those last two weeks of summer—taking advantage of the fact that the flood of blockbuster movies from the United States has already passed and there’s still some time before kids go back to school in September—an opportunity arises. It’s a very specific time of year when, as we’ve seen, families with children tend to visit theaters more often.”
Edmon Roch: “Bringing ‘Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp’ to life was made possible thanks to the support of Paramount and Mediaset España, who have reaffirmed their commitment to us time and again. That’s why we strive to make each film better than the last so as not to disappoint them, and we believe we’ve succeeded. When we finished the first part, the only available release date was the last week of August, which we thought at the time was a bad date, because summer was ending, the big releases had already taken place, and the kids were about to go back to school. But what happened was that a window of opportunity opened up, and since then, Spanish cinema has been able to take advantage of it to reach a family audience that has already seen the big summer movies and is back home after vacation. “It’s been shown that people want to have a good time at the movies before getting back into their routine, so what better company than Tadeo?”
A451: Four years ago, the third installment of the series hit theaters in a post-pandemic context very different from today’s. Do you think Tadeo’s traditional audience will respond just as well this time?
Augustín: “The first two films had incredible box office results, bringing in nearly 20 million euros, so the 11 million the third installment grossed felt like a letdown to us—even more so when you consider that it’s the most well-rounded of the three. When we released ‘Tadeo Jones and the Emerald Tablet,’ audiences hadn’t quite returned to theaters yet, but now the circumstances are different. We’re in a good place right now; movie theaters have been recovering, and the last six months have gone well, so if this trend continues, I think we’re in a position to achieve numbers similar to those of the third film.”
Matji: “Given the pace we’re moving at—and since there’s usually a five-year gap between one Tadeo movie and the next—there’s always a generational shift. With the first one, we hit the mark; with the second one too, because we attracted more viewers in Spain; the results for the third one were also good; and considering how the fourth one turned out, I think we should, at the very least, match the numbers from the third one—and maybe even beat them. What I’m convinced of is that, internationally, it’s going to do better than the previous ones—hence Paramount’s enthusiasm—and given the box office success that films like ‘Toy Story 5’ or ‘Minions & Monsters’ have had lately in Spain, the outlook isn’t bad. If, by the end of the year, ‘Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp’ ranks among the top five highest-grossing films in Spain, with two or three million viewers, it will mean we’ve done our job well.”
Roch: “Sometimes, it’s not all about the movie—there are other factors at play—but we are definitely noticing that eagerness to see Tadeo on the big screen again, and that’s precisely what makes every release in the series such a big event. We believe that the passion for the character remains intact, as has recently been demonstrated in the case of other franchises like ‘Toy Story’ or ‘The Minions’; even as audiences grow older, they continue to accompany younger children to the theaters—that’s what the family entertainment we offer is all about. The feedback we’re receiving is very positive, and Paramount’s commitment couldn’t be stronger, with a simultaneous global theatrical release in 34 countries alongside Spain—which is a major milestone. This gives us great hope, because this Tadeo could go further than ever before.”
Roch: “When we finished the first part, the only available release date was the last week of August, which we thought at the time was a bad date, because summer was coming to an end, the big releases had already taken place, and the kids were about to go back to school. But what happened was that a window of opportunity opened up, and since then, Spanish cinema has been able to take advantage of it to reach a family audience that has already seen the big summer movies and is back home after vacation.”
A451: Every new Tadeo Jones movie always comes with added pressure—how are you handling it?
Augustín: “The pressure is always there, although Tadeo also has an advantage: since it’s an established IP, we can assume there are people willing to buy our product. But, as I always say, if we don’t have a good movie, there’s nothing we can do. No matter how hard you try to sell it, no matter how much marketing you do, and no matter how big a launch you prepare, if in the end there isn’t a strong concept behind it, people won’t go to the movies. In this case, I think we’re starting from a very good foundation.”
Matji: “When we made the first Tadeo film, Enrique Gato, the director, and I threw ourselves into it and gave everything we had to make a film that was both honest and ambitious, because that was the only way to weather all the challenges that come with working in this industry, and in the end, the result exceeded our expectations. In the second film, with the goal of improving the story and making it more appealing, we decided to play to our strengths and take Tadeo to Granada; in the third, we ventured into more treacherous territory, as we decided to explore the conflict between the two mummies; and in this latest one, the truth is that the story surrounding the magic lamp has been a gift, because it’s a bottomless well.”
Roch: “In the end, every movie is unique and presents a different challenge. The previous ones are there to push us to be better, of course, because we’re building on something very well-established, and as we look ahead to the next one, we always have a duty to go even further. The key is to offer the audience something new, fascinating, and entertaining, and I think we’ve achieved that in this new Tadeo adventure.”
A451: What would you say is the defining feature of this fourth installment?
Augustín: “This fourth installment has the charm of the first ones, but it also has a little more excitement. In an animated film, an ending like the one in *Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp*—without giving anything away—is a real treat. When you take your kids to the movies, the best thing that can happen is to see a film that, beyond just being fun, tells a story. This one does that, and that’s why it works so well; it never slows down—it’s full of adventure, action, and entertainment—but it strives to go a step further.”
Matji: “That’s right, the emotional weight of this movie is much greater than that of the previous ones, and each character’s arc carries more significance. While the first three were about what happened to Tadeo, this movie is about what happens to the five characters who make up the group, and that’s a major difference. Americans will always make movies with bigger budgets and more spectacular scenes, so our strength lies in humor, empathy, and emotion—which can only come through well-developed characters that touch the heart.”
Roch: “All that emotional depth means taking it a step further than the first three films, and I think it gives the movie a very solid maturity, without sacrificing the fun, adventure, and surprises that have always characterized Tadeo’s stories. All those ingredients are back, but on an exponential scale, thanks to the ability to travel through time—which, after all, is every archaeologist’s dream. A journey into the past that also ties in with the history of Spain.”
Augustín: “The 11 million the third installment grossed didn’t seem like much to us, especially considering it’s the most well-rounded of the three. When we released ‘Tadeo Jones and the Emerald Tablet,’ audiences hadn’t quite returned to theaters yet, but now the circumstances are different […] If this trend continues, I think we’re in a position to achieve numbers similar to those of the third installment.”
A451: If the leap in animation quality was already noticeable in the third film, this sequel raises the bar even higher…
Matji: “This film clearly surpasses all the previous ones, thanks to the experience the entire team has gained over the years, both technically and narratively. The leap is visible in terms of animation, of course, but it’s also evident in everything related to the screenplay, the story, and character development.”
Roch: “Technical improvements are practically a necessity driven by the passage of time and the advancements that have been made, but crafting a good story—one with humor, emotion, and adventure, like that of *Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp*—isn’t so easy, so this makes us especially proud. Audiences will be reunited with characters who move, amuse, and entertain them—but who will also take them a step further.”
Augustín: “From the first to the second and from the second to the third, improvements were made in terms of visuals and production, but the real leap in quality came between the second and the third, both in terms of animation and the script. Honestly, I think this latest one is the most ‘film-like’ of the four, and I have to say that we’re very proud of our co-production partners, Edmon Roch of Ikiru Films and Nico Matji of Lightbox, because we’ve managed to create a production that’s quite respectable on one-fifth of the budget of a North American animated film.”
A451: The fast-paced succession of time travels offers a lot of creative freedom in terms of art and settings, but also when it comes to the depth of the story and character development. How did this come about?
Augustín: “The idea came from Manuel Burque and Josep Gatell, who also wrote the script for the third installment. Looking ahead to this fourth installment, we told them we needed something more because we didn’t want to fall into the trap of repeating the formulas we’d used in the first three. And while the third season focused on the group, friendship, and the idea that unity is strength, here we take it a step further: Tadeo and Sara are now parents, which is sure to bring new conflicts within the family.”
Matji: “I’m one of those people who believes that all good ideas come from what we see and experience in our childhood, so there isn’t a single screenwriter who isn’t fascinated by *Back to the Future*. We wanted to create a new Tadeo who was different, and we came to the conclusion that the best way to bring the character back was to have him return—but to the past—since there’s no greater conflict than that. This time, Tadeo sets out in search of the magic lamp, which takes him to 16th-century Peru—something that hasn’t been seen in any Tadeo movie and that has allowed us to refresh the settings, sets, and characters. This offers a lot of creative freedom and really helps get the audience excited.”
Roch: “Throughout the creative process led by Burque and Gatell, we ruled out countless ideas until we arrived at this quest for the magical lamp across time and space, which we feel embodies the principle that Enrique Gato has always championed: every new Tadeo film must offer a different adventure—and one that’s even better than the previous ones. As soon as we hit upon this concept, we knew we had something wonderful on our hands that was going to take us very far.”
Matji: “All the Tadeo movies have been highly collaborative projects, thanks in part to the fact that we have a director who, in addition to having many great ideas, also knows how to embrace the good ideas of others. If something doesn’t excite all of us sitting around the table, we discard it; but if, on the other hand, the six or seven of us there give it the green light, then it stays in the movie. A single person can be wrong, but when several people—from different age groups—are backing something, they can’t be wrong. What we all like, the audience likes too.”
Roch: “In the end, every movie is unique and presents a different challenge. The previous ones are there to push us to be better, of course, because we’re building on something very well-established, and as we look ahead to the next one, we always have a duty to go even further. The key is to offer the audience something new, fascinating, and entertaining, and I think we’ve achieved that in this new Tadeo adventure.”
A451: The ambition on display in “Tadeo Jones 4” has also led to a larger budget compared to the previous installment, as was to be expected. From a production standpoint, what was the biggest challenge?
Augustín: “When it comes to budgets, we at Telecinco Cinema don’t usually go into much detail, but I have to admit that this time we’ve had a particularly hard time because everything costs 30 or 40 percent more than it did four years ago, while box office figures are 30 or 40 percent lower. Well, in the end, it’s not as if the film actually cost 40 percent more, and that’s thanks, in part, to the exceptional work of Enrique Gato, who isn’t just a director—he’s practically another producer—because he’s always by our side, trying to keep the budget in check and prevent things from getting out of hand. The other key pillar is Paramount Spain, above all, but also Paramount International, which already made a run at releasing *Tadeo Jones 3* internationally, and it went very well. This time, they’re going to release the film in nearly 40 countries, practically all at once, and they have high hopes. They’ve always believed in us, so I’m glad to have them on board once again and to be able to release the film in so many territories. Hopefully it’ll work out.”
Matji: “The hardest part is always the same: fitting the story into the footage we have available. It’s true that we have more and more resources at our disposal—you only have to compare the empty streets in the first film with those in this latest one, which are full of life, to realize that—but in animation, even if you think anything is possible, that’s not true. The budget allows for a certain number of minutes with specific characters in each shot, and since this film is so overflowing with action and so many things are happening, the main challenge has been to stick to those limits. We’re always about 10 minutes short of the footage we need to finish telling our story, and that’s where Enrique, the director, comes in—he’s the one who has to decide what stays, in what order, and what needs to be cut. The money we have is enough for an 85-minute film, not an 86-minute one. That’s just how it is.”
Roch: “In a live-action film, you can extend a scene and it costs absolutely nothing, but in an animated film, everything comes at a cost: from adding more extras to a sequence to making the hair look a certain way, to the movement of water, for example. This multiplies the challenges when it comes to pursuing the excellence we all strive for when telling a story, but we have to be aware that not everything is possible. You always have to give up some things that might be saved for the next film. That, for me, is the hardest part.”
A451: How many people worked on the film throughout the entire process?
Augustín: “A total of 182 people worked on this production, with nearly equal representation across genders. We’ve had professionals from all over Spain and different parts of the world, and the truth is that all of us on this team are incredibly proud to have made a film of this scale—and above all, of this quality—with the budget we had. We’re certainly in a position to compete on equal footing with films four, five, or six times bigger than ours, such as *Minions & Monsters*, to give a recent example.”
Matji: “The emotional impact of this film is much greater than that of the previous ones, and each character’s arc carries more weight […] Americans will always make films with bigger budgets and more spectacular scenes, so our trump card is humor, empathy, and emotion—which can only come through well-developed characters that touch the heart.”
A451: Since his first appearance in theaters 14 years ago, Tadeo has evolved alongside the Spanish animation industry. The landscape of 2012 bears little to no resemblance to today’s…
Matji: “Ever since we released the first Tadeo Jones short film back in 2004, and then starting in 2008 when we began working on the first feature film—which we released four years later—we’ve seen it all. Professional roles have become highly specialized—so much so that every Tadeo film goes through 18 different stages, from the blank page to the final frame, and in that production chain, each person is responsible for a different task. In the past, it was very difficult to find certain highly specialized professionals in Spain, but that’s no longer the case. So when the pandemic brought about the rise of remote work, we no longer just had to compete with other Spanish films to attract those professionals—we suddenly had to compete with major international companies like Illumination, which has led to a significant increase in salaries. Remote work has been a blessing for us, because it has given us greater immediacy and allowed us to work with people from all over the world, and another substantial change has been the increasing number of women joining the industry. We’ve gone from having seven or eight women on the team for the first *Tadeo* to having 49.5 percent women versus 50.5 percent men on the team for this latest one, which makes us especially proud.”
Roch: “Without a doubt, one of the biggest leaps forward has been in the area of training and technical skills. At first, all of us working on Tadeo’s first film were still learning the ropes and trying to grow, but many are now top professionals whom American studios want to recruit for projects with budgets ten times larger than ours. In this regard, it’s important to highlight the role of schools like Lightbox Academy, which are the ones fostering the artistry and talent behind not only *Tadeo* but also the exceptionally high standard that Spanish animation currently enjoys. Before, everything was much more artisanal, but now we have different tools and, above all, much deeper knowledge of the various processes, so we haven’t stopped making progress and hope to continue doing so.”
A451: How many prints do you plan to release in Spanish theaters?
Augustín: “Paramount hasn’t given us the exact number yet, but it’s going to be a lot—I’d say between 400 and 500, approximately. In short, what you’d expect from a major Spanish film release like this one.”
Augustín: “From the first to the second and from the second to the third, we made improvements in terms of visuals and production, but the real leap in quality came between the second and third films, both in terms of animation and the screenplay. Honestly, I think this latest one is the most ‘film-like’ of the four […] We’ve managed to put together a pretty decent production with one-fifth of the budget of an American animated film.”
A451: Are there already ideas for ‘Tadeo Jones 5’?
Augustín: “In Tadeo’s case, it usually takes us about four and a half years to get a film ready, from when we start until it hits theaters. So, if by October or November we see that this fourth installment has done well, then we’ll start thinking about it. There are two ways to do it: with a lot of money, or with little money and a lot of time—and we’re going with the second option, so we’ll see. We’ve started to explore possible directions, but right now we’re fully focused on the campaign for ‘Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp,’ which is the biggest one we’ve ever undertaken.”
Roch: “We haven’t quite finalized the idea yet because, as Nico said, we need to find the right approach that will convince everyone involved that we need to move in that direction and not another. There are already some very interesting proposals on the table that could become a truly great ‘Tadeo 5,’ but right now we need to focus on growing ‘Tadeo Jones and the Wonderful Lamp’ both inside and outside of Spain. The only requirement will continue to be to do something better than everything that came before.”
A451: Álvaro, what can you tell us about Telecinco Cinema’s upcoming releases, shoots, and projects?
Augustín: “In October, we’ll release ‘La maleta,’ a romantic comedy directed by Carlos Therón, and in January 2027, ‘Perfectos conocidos,’ directed by Javier Fesser. We’ve shot more films, but we don’t have confirmed release dates yet. We release 4 or 5 films a year—no more—because, as I like to say, in the past the hardest part of the Spanish film industry was financing a film, whereas now it’s finding a good release date. Ultimately, if you produce 10 or 15 films, finding a slot to release them all becomes a problem, so we prefer to produce fewer films and devote all our efforts to making each one a special event.”
Álvaro Augustín: “This time it’s been especially tough because everything costs 30 or 40 percent more than it did four years ago, while box office figures are down 30 or 40 percent.”
A451: So, Nico, what about Lightbox Animation Studio?
Matji: “In addition to finishing ‘Tadeo 4’ and developing the potential ‘Tadeo 5,’ Lightbox has produced two more films this year, ‘Monstruosa Mia’ and ‘La pirata Mo y el rubí perdido,’ through Arxlight Pictures, a subsidiary company with which we co-produce films with Europe. At the same time, with La Fiesta PC—the original production company behind the first Tadeo Jones shorts—I’m also producing ‘Un mundo propio,’ a 2D animated film directed by Carmen Córdoba.”
A451: Finally, Edmon, what’s next for Ikiru Films?
Roch: “We’re also partnering with Nico on the production of ‘Monstruosa Mia,’ which will hit theaters in October, and ‘La pirata Mo y el rubí perdido,’ scheduled to premiere next year. As for live-action, we recently produced ‘Cinco minutos más,’ a film directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera and written by Berto Romero that will compete in the upcoming San Sebastián Film Festival, as well as ‘Viva,’ Aina Clotet’s directorial debut, which won an award at the last Cannes Critics’ Week.”. Right now, at Ikiru Films, we’re working on Daniel Monzón’s next project, *250 Meters*, which will be filmed next year, and we’re close to wrapping up a series we’ve produced for Movistar, *Veredicto*, which is an original idea by Carles Porta, written by Eduard Sola, and directed by Carlos Marqués-Marcet. We wrapped up filming just a few days ago and are already moving into the editing phase so we can have the project ready by 2027.”
Matji: “In the past, it was very difficult to find certain very specific profiles in Spain, but that’s no longer the case. So when the pandemic brought about the rise of remote work, we no longer just had to compete with other Spanish films to attract those professionals—suddenly we had to compete with major international companies like Illumination, which has led to a significant increase in salaries.”