Alex Rey’s MiraChechu Productions has partnered with Películas Pendelton, the high-profile production company founded by Javier Fesser and Luis Manso (“Champions,” “Championext”), to produce “Sábado Sabadete” (“Saturday Sabadete”), a standout adult animation series pitching this week at Iberseries & Platino Industria 2025.
For Películas Pendelton, best known for box office smashes and family crowd-pleasers, the move signals a sharp turn into adult animation, adding heavyweight backing to Rey’s irreverent vision.
“Saturday Sabadete” follows Sabadete, a giant pink axolotl who ruled Spanish TV in the 1980s by humiliating his sidekick Mostachón.
Decades later, Sabadete is broke and forgotten, plotting a comeback with fellow washed-up TV stars — while facing off against his old partner, now a powerful producer determined to shut him down.
Rey, who directs, produces and voices all characters, has already delivered a full bible, trailer and pilot episode. The project first caught industry attention at Spain’s Weird Market showcase.
“This is an animated series for adults set and rooted in Spain,” Rey told Variety. “For years we’ve consumed shows like ‘South Park’ or ‘Family Guy’ from the U.S., but never one that reflects our own culture. There’s a huge audience waiting for a Spanish voice in this space.”
Founded in 2005, MiraChechu Productions began as Rey’s one-man creative vehicle, scripting, animating and voicing shorts that earned national and international prizes. His “Pobre Marciano” screened at the Ottawa Festival, one of the world’s top animation meetings.
Saturday Sabadete
With “Saturday Sabadete,” MiraChechu scales up in partnership with Películas Pendelton.
Luis Manso’s involvement adds industry heft. Alongside Fesser, he has steered Películas Pendelton to some of Spain’s most distinctive hits, from “The Miracle of P. Tinto” and “Mortadelo and Filemón: Mission Implausible” to the runaway success of “Champions,” which grossed €19.1 million ($22.3 million) in Spain, released by Universal.
For Rey, the alliance marks a leap from indie cult shorts to industrial-scale production, positioning “Saturday Sabadete” as a bold attempt to push adult animation with a local edge onto the global stage.
“Sábado Sabadete” will be pitched on Wednesday, Oct. 1, as part of the Co-Production and Financing Forum at Iberseries & Platino Industria 2025 in Madrid.
