Restoration Planned for Cuba's First Animated Feature Film: "Elpidio Valdés"

The groundbreaking animated film "Elpidio Valdés" (1979), recognized as the inaugural feature-length animation in Cuban cinema, is set to undergo digitalization and restoration in Colombia. This initiative will also include four short films from the same series, as revealed by ICAIC President Alexis Triana on Wednesday, July 2, during the plenary session of the Second International Congress on Cultural Heritage Protection.

Triana shared the news on social media, stating, "Today we announce the start of the digitalization and restoration of the first animated feature of Cuban Cinema, 'Elpidio Valdés', created by Juan Padrón in 1979, along with four other shorts."

The physical film materials were handed over in Bogotá to Ricardo Cuesta Garnica, deputy director of the Colombian Film Heritage Foundation, by actress Mirta Ibarra—2025 National Film Award winner—and Arlety Veunes, head of the ICAIC's Documentary Department.

Their journey included a stop at the 12th International Mountain Film Festival in Salento, Quindío, from July 1 to 5, 2026, where Cuba was honored as the guest country under the theme "Latin American Rural Resilience."

Reviving an Animated Legacy

In addition to the 70-minute feature, the Colombian foundation will also restore four shorts from the series: "Elpidio Valdés Forces the Trail," "Elpidio Valdés Meets Palmiche," "Elpidio Valdés' Summer Campaign," and "Elpidio Valdés vs. the Gunboat."

This endeavor receives financial backing from the UK solidarity movement. Triana specifically thanked Rob Miller and the Screencuba.uk Festival, which has supported the restoration of Juan Padrón's work for three years.

Juan Padrón, born in Matanzas in 1947 and passed away in Havana on March 24, 2020, is hailed as the pioneer of Cuban animated cinema, earning the National Film Award in 2008. He introduced the character Elpidio Valdés, a mambí colonel, in 1970 for the magazine Pionero. The character made its film debut in 1974 with a short film and reached its peak with the 1979 feature, a milestone in Latin American animation. After his death, Panamanian singer-songwriter Rubén Blades honored him as a "giant of Latin American animation."

Preserving Cultural Heritage Amid Crisis

The Colombian Film Heritage Foundation is no stranger to Padrón's work, having previously restored other shorts from the series. They also plan to tackle "Vampires in Havana" (1985), Padrón's most commercially successful animated film. According to Jorge Mario Vera, the foundation’s technical deputy director, "restoring these works provides an opportunity to revisit the socio-political memories of various countries throughout history."

This announcement comes amid a significant crisis for the ICAIC. In November 2023, over a hundred Cuban filmmakers opposed Alexis Triana's appointment as president, claiming the institution had been "virtually destroyed." Despite this turmoil, the ICAIC has initiated efforts to preserve film heritage, including honoring Luciano Castillo, director of the Cuban Cinematheque, with the 2026 National Film Award.

The character's popularity endures among audiences. In May 2026, an animation of Elpidio Valdés dancing "reparto" went viral on TikTok, amassing over 246,000 views, underscoring the animated mambí's relevance to new generations of Cubans both on and off the island.

Once restoration is completed, the feature film and the four shorts will be digitally preserved for future generations, representing a collaborative effort between Colombia, the United Kingdom, and what remains of the Cuban film industry to celebrate one of the nation's most cherished cultural icons.