Cromosoma

Cromosoma was a Spanish animation studio and audiovisual production company headquartered in Barcelona. Founded in 1988 by audiovisual producer Oriol Ivern together with a group of investors, the company initially concentrated on Catalan-language television content. Its early productions included the television game show La caixa savia for TV3 and the children's series Los cuentos de Nana Bunilda for TVE Cataluña. This beginning gave Cromosoma a distinctive position within the Catalan audiovisual ecosystem, where public broadcasters and independent producers played an important role in developing locally authored programming. The company's decisive breakthrough came through its relationship with illustrator Roser Capdevila. In 1991, Capdevila encouraged Ivern to develop an animated series based on her children's books about three sisters. The resulting series, The Triplets, premiered on TV3 in Catalonia in the mid-1990s and was subsequently broadcast elsewhere in Spain, including on Canal+ and La 2. The series became Cromosoma's signature property and one of the most successful Catalan audiovisual exports of its period, eventually reaching audiences in more than 150 countries. Its format combined educational and cultural elements with fantasy adventures: the triplets were sent by the Bored Witch into fairy tales, classic stories and historical settings as a consequence of their misbehavior. The success of The Triplets transformed Cromosoma from a general audiovisual producer into a significant animation company. It developed additional children's properties such as The Bored Witch, Juanito Jones, Miniman, Tom and Asha, while also extending The Triplets through films, preschool spin-offs, language adaptations and merchandise-related activities. The company worked with broadcasters and production partners in Spain and abroad, including Televisió de Catalunya, Televisión Española, France 3, RAI Fiction, the European Broadcasting Union and German partners. It also produced documentaries and feature films aimed at adult audiences, demonstrating a broader strategy than children's animation alone. Cromosoma began exploring theatrical animation in the early 2000s. The Triplets and Gaudí and The Triplets and the Riddle of Quixote brought the franchise to feature-film and cultural-adventure formats. Alongside these projects, the company produced documentaries and fiction films addressing subjects connected with Catalan culture, historical memory, music, social issues and contemporary life. Its best-known adult-oriented productions included Bicicleta, cuchara, manzana, Carles Bosch's documentary about Pasqual Maragall's experience with Alzheimer's disease, and Wrinkles, an animated feature directed by Ignacio Ferreras and based on Paco Roca's graphic novel. Both films received Goya Awards in their respective categories, for Best Documentary and Best Animated Film. The 2008 financial crisis affected Cromosoma's revenues and aggravated the company's financial difficulties. After Ivern died in 2012, his heirs were unable to manage the company's growing debts, and Cromosoma entered administration. The company ultimately closed in January 2013, with its intellectual-property rights placed on the market. Cromosoma therefore remains an important historical name in Spanish and Catalan animation, particularly because The Triplets established a durable internationally distributed franchise and helped demonstrate the export potential of locally produced children's content.

Cromosoma was established in Barcelona in 1988 by audiovisual producer Oriol Ivern and a group of investors. Its first stage was closely connected to Catalonia's public broadcasting environment. The company initially produced content exclusively in Catalan, including La caixa savia for TV3 in 1990 and Los cuentos de Nana Bunilda for TVE Cataluña in 1991. These projects positioned Cromosoma as a local producer capable of creating television formats for children and general audiences. The company's central turning point followed a proposal from illustrator Roser Capdevila. In 1991, Capdevila persuaded Ivern to adapt her stories about three sisters into animation. The resulting series, The Triplets, premiered on TV3 in the mid-1990s and later reached national Spanish broadcasters such as Canal+ and La 2. Its international circulation was unusually extensive for a Catalan children's property: the series was eventually aired in more than 150 countries. The program's educational and literary structure, in which the three protagonists entered fairy tales, classic narratives and historical episodes, made it adaptable across markets while retaining a clear local creative identity. The success of The Triplets changed Cromosoma's business model and scale. It became primarily identified with animation and began developing a wider catalogue of children's series. Projects included Les Magilletres, which introduced young viewers to the alphabet; Pimpa; Pipsqueak Plays Sport; Juanito Jones; Miniman; Motel Spaghetti; Tom; Asha; and the online-oriented Sweesters: virtual room. The company also produced The Bored Witch and other programs associated with the world of The Triplets. Several productions were made with international broadcasters, distributors or co-producers, including partners from France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Cromosoma sought to extend its most valuable property into theatrical formats during the early 2000s. It began work on a Triplets film in 2001 with a planned three-year development period and a reported budget denominated in pesetas. The resulting feature, The Triplets and Gaudí, placed the characters in a story involving the Catalan architect. The company later produced The Triplets and the Riddle of Quixote and The Baby Triplets, a preschool-oriented spin-off. A short featuring the characters was also broadcast during the 2003–2004 school year in a prominent evening television slot. Although animation remained central, Cromosoma maintained a broad audiovisual-production portfolio. It participated in fiction films, cultural documentaries, historical documentaries and projects dealing with social and political themes. Examples included Asha, la filla del Ganges; Revolución, toma 2, retorno a los escenarios; ¡Brava! Victoria; El Papus, anatomia d'un atemptat; Miquel Batllori, la agudeza de un sabio; Caracremada; La nit que va morir l'Elvis; and Bajarí. Its strongest critical and awards-era results came in the early 2010s. Bicicleta, cuchara, manzana, directed by Carles Bosch, followed Pasqual Maragall's experience with Alzheimer's disease and won the Goya for Best Documentary. Wrinkles, directed by Ignacio Ferreras and produced with Perro Verde Films and Televisión de Galicia, won the Goya for Best Animated Film. The global financial crisis that began in 2008 reduced Cromosoma's revenues. The death of Oriol Ivern in 2012 intensified the company's succession and financial problems. His heirs were unable to address the accumulated debts, leading to administration proceedings. Cromosoma closed in January 2013, after which rights to its intellectual properties were offered for sale. Its legacy rests primarily on The Triplets, which became a major international success, and on its contribution to the development of Catalan and Spanish animation and documentary production.

• 2013

  Cromosoma closes

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  The company ceases operations in January and its intellectual-property rights are offered for sale.

• 2012

  Wrinkles wins the Goya for Best Animated Film

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  Cromosoma's animated feature based on Paco Roca's graphic novel receives the Goya for Best Animated Film.

• 2012

  Founder Oriol Ivern dies and the company enters administration

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  Ivern's death is followed by succession difficulties and the company's formal financial distress.

• 2011

  Bicicleta, cuchara, manzana wins the Goya for Best Documentary

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  The Carles Bosch documentary about Pasqual Maragall and Alzheimer's disease receives Spain's Goya Award for Best Documentary.

• 2005

  The Triplets and the Riddle of Quixote is released

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  A second Triplets feature sends the characters in search of a missing chapter of Don Quixote.

• 2002

  The Triplets and Gaudí is released

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  The franchise moves into feature animation with a story involving Antoni Gaudí.

• 2001

  Cromosoma begins a Triplets theatrical project

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  The company begins developing a feature film based on The Triplets.

• 1995

  The Triplets premieres

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  The signature series premieres on TV3 and later expands to Spanish and international broadcasters.

• 1991

  The Triplets adaptation is developed

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  Roser Capdevila encourages Ivern to adapt her children's books into an animated series.

• 1990

  La caixa savia is produced for TV3

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  Cromosoma produces an early Catalan-language television game show for TV3.

• 1988

  Cromosoma is founded in Barcelona

  [1]Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org

  Oriol Ivern and a group of investors establish the audiovisual production company.

A Catalan and Spanish independent audiovisual producer that combined children's animation, exportable character franchises and culturally focused documentary and feature production.

• Animated television series · 1995

  The Triplets

  Cromosoma's defining children's franchise, based on Roser Capdevila's books about three sisters. In the series, the protagonists are sent by the Bored Witch into fairy tales, classic stories and historical periods as a form of punishment, creating an educational adventure format. The program premiered on TV3 and became an international success, airing in more than 150 countries.

• Animated feature film · 2002

  The Triplets and Gaudí

  The first major theatrical extension of The Triplets franchise. The film places the characters in an adventure connected with Antoni Gaudí and uses the established series format to introduce Catalan cultural heritage to a feature-film audience.

• Animated feature film · 2005

  The Triplets and the Riddle of Quixote

  A later Triplets feature in which the protagonists search for a missing chapter of Don Quixote. The production combined the franchise's child-oriented fantasy structure with a literary subject familiar to Spanish and international audiences.

• Preschool animated series · 2006

  The Baby Triplets

  A preschool spin-off of The Triplets that presents the central characters as kindergarten-aged children dealing with everyday experiences. It extended the franchise toward a younger audience and supported the company's broader character-based programming strategy.

• Animated television series · 2001

  Juanito Jones

  A children's animated series about a resourceful boy who resolves everyday problems through intelligence and nonviolent methods. The character's multicultural family background helped the program travel into the Latin American market.

• Animated television series · 2001

  Miniman

  A children's series centered on a childlike alien superhero raised by insects. Its stories use the protagonist's adventures to present problem-solving themes to younger viewers.

• Animated television series · 2004

  Tom

  An animated series about a dinosaur who travels around the world helping humans. The production involved Cromosoma, European broadcasting partners and Spanish television organizations.

• Animated television series · 2010

  Asha

  An animated children's series following a group of friends through adventures. It was connected to Cromosoma's wider work around the Asha property, which also included documentary production.

• Feature documentary · 2010

  Bicicleta, cuchara, manzana

  A Carles Bosch documentary focused on former Barcelona mayor Pasqual Maragall and his experience with Alzheimer's disease. Cromosoma was the principal producer, working with television partners. The film received the Goya Award for Best Documentary.

• Animated feature film · 2011

  Wrinkles

  An animated feature directed by Ignacio Ferreras and based on Paco Roca's graphic novel. It follows two elderly men in a residential facility and treats aging and friendship through a mixture of humor and emotional realism. Cromosoma co-produced the film, which won the Goya for Best Animated Film.

• 2012

  Enter administration after mounting debtOther

  Background

  The 2008 financial crisis had reduced revenues, and the death of founder Oriol Ivern created additional succession difficulties.

  Action taken

  Ivern's heirs declared administration when they could not address the company's accumulated liabilities.

  Aftermath

  Cromosoma closed in January 2013 and its intellectual-property rights were offered for sale.

  Source

• 2001

  Move into theatrical animationProduct launch

  Background

  The international success of The Triplets created an opportunity to extend the property beyond television.

  Action taken

  Cromosoma began production planning for a Triplets feature film, with a multi-year development period.

  Aftermath

  The strategy resulted in The Triplets and Gaudí and later The Triplets and the Riddle of Quixote.

  Source

• 1991

  Develop The Triplets as a flagship animation propertyStrategy

  Background

  After Roser Capdevila proposed adapting her children's books, Cromosoma chose to develop the concept as an animated television series.

  Action taken

  The company produced The Triplets for TV3 and subsequently pursued national distribution, international sales and derivative productions.

  Aftermath

  The series became Cromosoma's largest international success and reshaped the company into an animation-focused studio.

  Source

1. 1Cromosomaen.wikipedia.org