Spider-Man Animator Dies in Annecy Train Incident

Luis de la Rosa, a Mexican animator and illustrator whose credits included Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Carmen Sandiego, has died after being struck by a train while attending the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. He was 34.

Annecy organizers confirmed the death Friday. De la Rosa, who was based in Vancouver, was struck Wednesday evening near a downtown train station by an express train locomotive. Police have opened an investigation into the cause of death.

French newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré first reported the incident, saying emergency services responded near the railroad tracks on Avenue Aristide Briand in an area that had been fenced off and closed to the public. Attempts to save him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the newspaper.

Born in Mexico in 1991, de la Rosa graduated from Vancouver Film School and had worked as a 2D animator in Vancouver since 2016. He worked in animation departments on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Carmen Sandiego and My Dad the Bounty Hunter. His television credits included Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Archibald’s Next Big Thing and Animaniacs. De la Rosa was at Annecy to present his latest project, Ash Raider World, as part of the festival market.

The festival will honor de la Rosa during Saturday’s closing ceremony, where Artistic Director Marcel Jean is expected to deliver remarks and present clips from the animator’s work.