Company’s first dedicated VFX studio outside New Zealand kicks off with 75 artists, with more hires planned later this year; currently it has 12 unannounced projects in the pipeline, having recently completed work on ‘The Batman,’ Marvel’s ‘Moon Knight,’ and ‘Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’
Wētā FX has announced the opening of its Vancouver office as part of the next phase of the company’s growth following the $1.6 billion technology deal with Unity late last year. This marks the company’s first dedicated visual effects office outside its home-base of New Zealand, complementing the executive offices in Los Angeles and signaling the beginning of Wētā’s commitment to international expansion and scale.
“The global growth in entertainment content has allowed us the flexibility to really pursue the projects we want and to expand our business model to tap into talent in more locations around the world,” commented Wētā FX CEO Prem Akkaraju. “Vancouver is an established market for VFX, animation, and games talent and we look forward to welcoming them into the Wētā FX family.”
The Vancouver office will work on a wide range of shows including the Avatar sequels, the first of which will hit theatres in December 2022. It is also working on a dozen unannounced projects for various studios and has recently completed work on Warner Bros.’ The Batman and Marvel’s Moon Knight and Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The new location will initially house 75 artists with plans to expand beyond that before the end of the year.
Wētā FX has seen steady growth over the last couple of years with the establishment of Wētā Studios and Wētā Animated.
Source: Wētā FX
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
