SCRIMSHAW Animation Bows 'Everybody Loves Salsa'
“Everybody Loves Salsa,” an animated short film celebrating Latin American heritage, rhythm, culture, and connection through movement, color, and music, premiered exclusively on SCRIMSHAW Animation’s YouTube channel on November 11th.
SCRIMSHAW ANIMATION is a new hub for bold, high quality animated shorts. Founded by Dave Gelb and Evan Brown, the creative minds behind New York-based Dreambear Productions, SCRIMSHAW is built on over a decade of experience cultivating, curating, and championing animation talent from around the world. The platform will share ad revenue directly with the artists whose films it features, giving independent animated shorts the visibility and respect it deserves.
“At its core, SCRIMSHAW is really a movement designed to elevate independent animators and give them the visibility, support, and resources they deserve,” says Evan Brown, Founder of Dreambear and Co-Founder of SCRIMSHAW. “We’ve always wanted our animators to thrive not just as artists, but as businesspeople. Helping them sustain their teams, their studios, and their families is what brings us joy. Together, our team is assembling a rotating board of curators, specialists in animation who will help champion diverse voices, genres, and techniques across the SCRIMSHAW platform.”
“Everybody Loves Salsa,” directed by Daniel Cordero, combines mixed media with 2D and 3D animation, brought to life by two original tracks composed exclusively for the film: a salsa piece and a song inspired by the traditional sounds of Colombia’s Pacific South.
“After a decade in development and two years of hard work, it’s incredibly thrilling and exciting to release this animation that depicts very dear subjects to me: music, culture, color and Latin American heritage,” says Cordero. “This is a very personal project to me, and I hope people can get as excited and inspired as I am by the rhythm and people of Colombia.”
A designer and animator originally from Cádiz, Spain and now living and working between Toronto and Cali, Colombia, Cordero’s work spans vibrant graphic art, soft color palettes, and textured motion, exploring the line between humor and humanity. His work has been named a Vimeo Staff Pick three times, for “Fastest,” “State of Grace” and “Art Is Theft,” and he earned a fourth as a collaborator on “To This Day.” In 2022, he received a D&AD Wood Pencil for his animated series “The Adulthood. “
Visually, “Everybody Loves Salsa” bursts with cultural vibrancy. Its palette was refined over years to reflect the hues of the Colombian flag, Cali’s tropical fruits, and the city’s distinctive architecture. Characters such as El Guacamayo, La Palenquera, La Marimonda, El Jaguar, Juan Valdez, and El Pibe Valderrama appear alongside original creations El Dios de la Salsa and The AI Preacher, each one a symbol of Colombia’s rich folklore and identity. Together with the film’s original compositions and choreography, they create a heartfelt tribute to the city of Cali and the enduring soul of Latin America.
“We couldn’t be more excited to build a truly curated home for independent animation,” says Dave Gelb, Executive Producer at Dreambear and Co-Founder of SCRIMSHAW. “At Dreambear, our roots are in design and animation for commercial work, but SCRIMSHAW is about putting creators first, bringing fans together, and developing new voices and original IP. In just our first three weeks, we’ve premiered “Tinkerhell,” a body-horror anime from Noah Sterling, and “Miles and Flowers,” a 3D road-war film from first-time Ukrainian director Danny Volosozhar, along with Daniel’s vibrant love letter to Latin culture and music. This early collection already shows the range and quality we’re committed to celebrating.”
