Helsinki-based Gigglebug Entertainment has opened a new studio in the Canary Islands to expand its European pipeline for producing 2D animation. 

CEO and co-founder Anttu Harlin is heading up the new hub in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, which started operating earlier this month. Joining him is managing director Beth Parker and several Gigglebug artists and staff who have relocated from Helsinki. 

In the short term, Harlin’s plan is to search for new talent and scale the studio up to about 150 employees. Gigglebug is looking to leverage the attractive tax advantages of the Canary Islands Economic and Tax Regime, which offers a 45% to 50% deduction on eligible foreign production costs (up to US$10.87 million). 

Best known for its namesake 2D-animated series Gigglebug (62 x five minutes), which aired from 2013 to 2017 on Finnish public broadcaster Yle, the company has also established a wide roster of clients such as Disney (101 Dalmation Street), Warner Bros. Discovery (Merry Little Batman) and Nickelodeon (Best and Bester).