Sabadete, a pink axolotl and a beloved friend to children, once starred in a TV moment that felt almost magical. In the 1980s she shone on screen, celebrated as a quirky hero among her kind. Yet the show faded, and so did Sabadete’s hold on audiences. Today, the character and the creator who brought her to life are both chasing a comeback, hoping to reclaim a place in the hearts of viewers who grew up with her. The aim is clear: to stage a triumphant return to stardom, no matter how long the road has been.
The latest chapter centers on Alex Rey, a prolific animator from Alicante, whose new project is taking shape as a bold animated concept for mature audiences. The project began as an animated short and has evolved into a pilot presented at a Valencia festival that spotlights innovative trends across animation formats. This Friday, in Valencia, the Weird Market served as a premier venue for a special sneak peek of a pilot episode tied to the Saturday Sabbath concept, framed as a web series. While Rey remains rooted in the possibility of a broader national or even international rollout, the project has its deepest roots in the American tradition of long‑running animated series that many viewers are familiar with after decades of exposure. The creator from Alicante describes the venture as a nod to those familiar formats while seeking to push them in new directions.
Drawing inspiration from iconic children’s programs like Sesame Street, Rey reimagines the core characters in a style that nods to Espinete, Don Pimpón, and other cherished figures from childhood television. The result is a tribute to the television of the past, updated with a contemporary sensibility, a shameless narrative voice, and a sense of humor that lands somewhere between affectionate homage and playful irreverence. (citation: Valencia Weird Market festival coverage)
Rey explains that his aim goes beyond pleasing children. He wants to honor the television world of yesterday while also delighting the young people of today. He expresses a wish to create a style that could have sat alongside American favorites like The Simpsons or South Park, blending influences from classic and modern animation to tell stories that resonate across age groups. The project invites viewers to consider how childhood memories can mingle with present-day storytelling and social themes in surprising ways.
As the series unfolds, its characters sometimes speak with blunt honesty or face extreme situations, a reminder that the target audience extends beyond kids and into older teens and young adults, roughly starting at age 16. The humor and tone are crafted to work for a broader audience while maintaining the charm that fans remember from earlier television eras. The creator notes that this mix—playful, rude at times, and emotionally honest—helps bridge generations and invites a wider conversation about how we remember media from the past while engaging with it in the present.
Inside the imagination, the main hero, the pink axolotl, weighs his options after past fame and wonders how to regain a prominent place on screen. He envisions bold ideas for episodes, sometimes imagining a feature-length movie that could echo the success of landmark comedies in Dutch and Spanish cinema, all while contemplating how to evoke the same spark in modern audiences. The creator riffs on inspirations ranging from Javier Fesser to the sense of playful risk that defined the era when his own show paused in 1988. The joke lands on references to beloved characters from television and cinema, reminding audiences of the cultural tapestry that shaped this art form. The project leans into the familiar while promising something fresh, a little chaotic, and deeply affectionate toward the fans who grew up with these stories.
At 42 years old and based in Alicante, Rey handles nearly every aspect of production. He designs, animates, composes, and even voices characters, sometimes crafting languages both real and invented. He has pushed himself to another level with this series, building a world that supports a 26-minute first episode and a planned 10-episode season. He produced the pilot and developed the broader arc in his spare time, hoping to convince producers, broadcasters, and platform representatives that the project can scale beyond a single episode. He is optimistic about assembling a larger team to bring future episodes to life if the initial reception proves favorable.
Ultimately, the story centers on a family man who juggles parenthood with creative ambition. Rey is a father of two and a veteran creator who believes in leveraging every moment and every character to tell something meaningful. The series is not just about nostalgia; it’s about channeling a sense of possibility—about turning a beloved memory into a living, breathing new world that can entertain and provoke thought in equal measure. The idea remains simple and bold: to prove that a familiar character can evolve without losing what made him beloved in the first place. The producer’s voice and his art form coalesce into a vivid picture of what the future of animation could look like when imagination meets relentless dedication.