Alicante-based illustrator Arly Jones joined the ongoing collaboration between the creative team of Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba for a second time, contributing to a project that follows the duo’s previous effort, Boy and Rita (2010). Jones, a long-time admirer of Mariscal’s work, joined the pre-production phase in a production process that began during the full swing of the 2020 pandemic and extended over roughly a year. He quips that if another film comes along, he would be eager to participate again, even if faced with another epidemic, a remark reflecting his affection for the pair and his commitment to their distinctive visual language.
Jones first became involved with the upcoming film three years earlier, in June 2020. He began working from home after studios closed, then, in February, was invited to come to the Barcelona studio. The plan was to work in person while the curfew remained in effect, a hybrid approach that persisted for two or three months before he returned to Alicante to continue his duties remotely.
Within a small initial team of cartoonists, roughly ten people, Jones describes a typical pre-production workflow: early tests, color planning, and then handing scenes over to the animators. His role centered on background and scene work, receiving a scene and rendering it across the entire sequence. He notes that he often took the lead in these drawings because of his passion for illustration, with only one other artist joining him in painting certain portions. The project, like the earlier film, faced its own creative frictions as the team pursued the look of Boy and Rita and then the new project, They Shot the Pianist.
Jones reflects on the experience as highly educational, saying that collaborating with Mariscal deepened his appreciation for the latter’s craft. He compares his emotional connection to Mariscal’s work with the strong bonds he feels for 1980s comics by creators such as Daniel Torres or Miguel Calatayud. He notes that Javier Mariscal tended to work more on the underground side of the spectrum, and that he would eagerly collaborate again.
Image from the movie They Shot the Pianist, a joint effort by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal, captured in the Alicante studio setting. This frame highlights the collaboration and the studio atmosphere surrounding the project.
The Alicante artist also contributed to the film in other capacities within animation circles. Since attending a presentation of the film with his daughter in November of the previous year, he shared his positive impressions about the preservation of the project and the care taken by Mariscal’s studio, contrasting it with what he described as a more industrial, factory-like atmosphere seen in some other animation productions. His praise underscores a preference for a studio environment that fosters artistic attention and meticulous preservation of the work.
The Trueba and Mariscal project centers on the figure of a Brazilian pianist named Tenorio Junior, a musician associated with the first movement of bossa nova in the 1970s. The story follows his disappearance after a concert in Argentina in 1976, with prominent Brazilian writer Vinícius de Moraes left with little trace. The film ties this historical thread to a broader narrative, offering a musical lineage rather than a straightforward biopic.
Image caption: Arly Jones with filmmaker Fernando Trueba in Mariscal’s studio. The photograph captures the collaborative mood that defined the production.
Jones conveys that the film presents a distinctly different approach from Boy and Rita. He describes it as having documentary elements, including interviews that seek to illuminate the fate of the central character and to provide context to his persona. He also notes that the film touches on contemporary political parallels, drawing a line to the Chilean dictatorship’s crimes and the effort to address history with more direct scrutiny. This framing, he suggests, helps to give a more nuanced understanding of the character’s life and demise.
Other projects
Following They Shot the Pianist, the Alicante artist continued to contribute to animation, taking on background work for another feature still awaiting release: Black Butterflies, directed by David Baute. The story centers on climate change and follows three women who are compelled to migrate in response to varying natural disasters, highlighting social and environmental themes.
Jones also explored opportunities in both animation and live-action formats, engaging as an animator and actor on Absolute Love. The project blends animation with live footage and features Carlo Avventi in a creative role and Maxi Velloso as producer. It began as an animated video clip and evolved into a complete short film that characterizes the project as a whimsical, yet poignant, cinematic piece.