The Ciudad de la Luz complex in Alicante wraps 2026 with the certainty that it has passed a trial by fire with flying colours. Two large-scale projects - Disney’s live-action flick Tangled and the establishment of Good Films Studios Spain - have shown that the facilities are ready to accommodate shoots with the most exacting technical and logistical demands. The result is a powerful magnet effect that is piquing the interest of new productions, both Spanish and international.

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Over the course of ten months, the complex’s stages and exterior areas became the base of operations for the live-action adaptation of Tangled, directed by Michael Gracey. The production mobilised more than 1,000 professionals and generated over 2,500 local hires, with a direct economic impact exceeding €40 million. At a September press conference, Gracey highlighted the studios’ ability to build sets that feel authentic and the ease of seamlessly combining exterior and interior locations. “There’s an extraordinary level of passion and dedication. That energy translates to the screen,” said the director. Producer Kristin Burr was even more enthusiastic: “This is my favourite location. The stages are among the most spectacular I’ve worked on.”

In parallel, at the start of the year, Good Films Studios Spain decided to establish its permanent base on site. Backed by a €19.8 million investment from the SETT state fund and private partners, the company founded by Miriam Segal is rolling out a plan that includes 20 international features over the next ten years. Its first film, People of the Book, has already made intensive use of the outdoor water tank, stages, exterior areas and workshop zones throughout the Alicante complex. Here, too, the assessments could not have been better. Segal referred to the local crew as “the best” she has worked with anywhere in the world.

The two flagship projects have pushed studio occupancy above 90% and sent a clear signal to the market: Ciudad de la Luz is operating at full throttle. The complex not only offers six climate-controlled stages (with an area of more than 11,000 m²), workshops, warehouses and a backlot of almost 15 hectares; its most distinctive feature remains the 100×80-metre outdoor water tank, with natural horizon, wave generation, water cannons and a 120-metre-long greenscreen, complemented by two floodable pits inside two of the stages. This aquatic versatility, combined with the ability to shoot interior and exterior on the same lot, is one of the attributes most valued by large-scale productions.

Adding to this technical ecosystem is a competitive incentives framework. Alongside the national tax rebate, the Generalitat Valenciana offers a regional grant covering 25% of production and post-production expenses incurred in the region, capped at €1.5 million per project. The combination of support measures, legal certainty and an increasingly experienced technical crew is smoothing the way for new projects.

The takeaway from 2026 is crystal clear: when a major Disney production and an independent producer with long-term vision choose the same complex and speak in such glowing terms about the facilities and the crew, the national and European markets sit up and take note. Ciudad de la Luz has shown it can service demanding shoots efficiently, and be the perfect place where big stories can be brought to life without any limits being imposed.