Luis de la Rosa, a 34-year-old Mexican animator and illustrator whose credits included “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” has died after being hit by a train while attending the Annecy Animation Festival.
The accident occurred on Wednesday, June 24, in the early evening in downtown Annecy, on the railroad tracks running alongside Avenue de Brogny, according to French regional newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré. The area is secured by a fence and off-limits to the public. The train conductor reported the incident at around 8 p.m.
According to Le Dauphiné, de la Rosa was walking along the tracks near Avenue Aristide-Briand when he was struck by a Léman Express train and dragged several meters. The driver had spotted him near the edge of the tracks and sounded the horn to warn him of the train’s approach.
Firefighters and a medical team were dispatched to the scene, but de la Rosa was killed instantly and pronounced dead at the site, the newspaper reported.
De la Rosa was in Annecy to attend the festival and its industry market, MIFA. Le Dauphiné reported that he was wearing a festival accreditation badge around his neck at the time of the incident. A police investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of his death.
The Annecy Animation Festival is expected to pay tribute to de la Rosa during its closing ceremony on Saturday night.
De la Rosa has been mourned on social media, notably by the blog Blanco Tarantino TV, which wrote: “The animation community is mourning the loss of Mexican animator Luis De La Rosa, who has died at the age of 34 following an accident shortly after attending the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. De La Rosa recently showcased his original project, Ash Raider World, at the prestigious festival and was widely respected for his contributions to numerous animated productions throughout his career.”
De la Rosa had contributed to a string of animated projects across film and television, including “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “My Little Pony,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: The Series,” among many others. He was most recently working on the short film “Axolodyssey,” directed by Jon Densk.
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