Havana, September 2 (RHC) -- The producer of animated films and 2020 National Film Award winner, Francisco (Paco) Prats, passed away today in this capital at the age of 76.

The artist is one of the essential names in the history of cartoons in Cuba after 1959 and he worked closely with the essential Cuban cartoonist, illustrator, screenwriter and filmmaker Juan Padrón, creator of animated characters that have marked the memory of generations, such as Elpidio Valdés. Prats also worked in many of his films and was still working as a producer at the Animated Film Studios of the Cuban Film Institute -ICAIC.

For his long career as the director of the institution’s cartoons department, he was granted the National Film Award, along with outstanding screenwriter Senel Paz. Prats graduated from the San Alejandro Fine Arts Academy in drawing and painting and in 1963 began working at ICAIC as a quality reviewer in the Cartoons Department.

The artist and producer left his imprint on highly popular works, such as Elpidio Valdés, Vampiros en La Habana! (Vampires in Havana!) and Más Vampiros en la Habana (More Vampires in Havana), several Quinoscopios, Mafalda, numerous animated videos, including Estela granito de canela and many others.