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Walt Disney Studios VFX Designers Join Marvel Studios in Push for Unionization
Visual effects designers at Walt Disney Studios have taken a significant step toward unionization, following in the footsteps of Marvel Studios’ artists. This move is part of a larger effort to seek better compensation and other benefits from studios, according to Variety.
A supermajority of 18 in-house VFX crew members at Walt Disney Studios have expressed their desire to unionize by filing with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). These designers have worked on various live-action Disney movies, including the recently-released hit, Little Mermaid.
The decision to unionize comes as VFX artists across Hollywood have voiced their concerns about low pay, long hours, and increased demands. The industry’s focus on producing numerous blockbusters for both film and television has resulted in lower-quality visual effects, which viewers have noticed in films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Organizer Matt Patch emphasized that this unionization effort is not limited to a single studio or corporation. He stated, “It’s about VFX workers across the industry using the tools at our disposal to uplift ourselves and forge a better path forward.”
Speaking with IGN, Marvel VFX artists shared their challenges in trying to unionize. James Dornoff, who has worked on films like Doctor Strange and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, explained the pressure they face to meet tight deadlines. He said, “Every shot that we had previously finaled has to now go through the pipeline, get redone, resurfaced, retextured, new renders, put on top, track that, animate, track, and then it’s a whole new set of rework.”
The next step for Disney VFX artists is to vote on whether or not they wish to unionize. Meanwhile, Hollywood writers and actors are currently on strike, causing delays in multiple projects. With VFX artists now joining the push for unionization, it seems the industry’s “hot labor summer” will continue.
As the VFX industry seeks to improve working conditions and compensation, the unionization efforts of Walt Disney Studios’ visual effects designers mark an important development. By joining forces with Marvel Studios’ artists and other industry professionals, these VFX workers aim to address the challenges they face and create a better future for themselves and their colleagues.
It remains to be seen how this unionization effort will impact the VFX industry as a whole, but it is clear that the push for change is gaining momentum. As viewers, we can hope that these efforts will lead to better working conditions for VFX artists and ultimately result in higher-quality visual effects in the films we love.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
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