Disney and Netflix choose Alicante: big productions land at Ciudad de la Luz

What was for years an ambitious project is now an undeniable reality: Alicante has become a potential epicentre of international filmmaking in Spain. The confirmation of major international and Spanish productions has put our province on the global map of the film industry.

We are not talking about rumours, but about projects with names and multi-million budgets that are already in pre-production at the Ciudad de la Luz studios and at various locations across the Valencia region.

Disney and the kingdom of Tangled at Santa Bárbara Castle

The biggest news is, without doubt, Disney’s arrival. The studio has chosen Alicante as its base for shooting ‘Tangled’, the live-action version of its 2010 animated hit.

• A long shoot: the production plans to be based in the city for eight months, guaranteeing steady economic activity and work for almost the whole year.
• Iconic locations: Santa Bárbara Castle will be one of the key settings, regaining its historic and cinematic prominence.
• International talent: directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the cast includes Teagan Croft as Rapunzel, Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider and Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel.

Technical muscle: ‘The People of the Book’ and the water tank

Almost at the same time, British production company Good Films Studios has set the wheels in motion for The People of the Book, a major production with a budget of 18 million euros.

The project is vital to showcase our studios’ technical capacity, as it will make intensive use of Ciudad de la Luz’s outdoor water tank, a facility unique in Europe that already proved its worth in films such as The Impossible. The company is also negotiating five further projects for 2026, which promises an unprecedented workload.

Netflix and a true crime story with an Alicante stamp

Netflix is also backing local talent and stories with a docudrama about the Sala family murders. Produced by LACOproductora, the project will take cameras to several urban locations in Alicante, exploring through a narrative lens one of the most high-profile court cases in the region.