The Jobs Of Animators Are In Jeopardy?
Inflation has negatively impacted every sector of business that has now even extended to the animation industry as animators are getting laid off in record numbers from major studios like Warner Brothers and Cartoon Network.
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The impacts of inflation and a potential global recession are impacting every sector. Even the seemingly impervious Hollywood is feeling the pinch. Recent news about significant layoffs among animators has the industry reeling.
The most recent cuts happened at Warner Brothers Discovery. There, 125 workers learned they would get laid off amidst a restructuring at Cartoon Network Studios. That included many animators working on Craig of the Creek.
One of its co-creators, Matt Burnett, tweeted news of the layoffs on October 7th. Those that remained would have their “orders cut in half,” while “many lost their jobs outright,” according to IGN. The cut also impacted the proposed spinoff Jessica’s Little Big World.
According to Burnett’s tweet, “Both Craig of the Creek and its spinoff Jessica’s Big Little World had their episode orders cut in half today. Just want to thank the crews of both shows for their incredible contributions – amazing talent that I encourage you to hire as they roll off.”
The company also recently canceled 37 animated shows. It also removed many from streaming on HBO Max. This move is making it difficult for viewers to watch existing episodes.
However, animators at Warner Brothers Discovery are not the only ones feeling the pinch. Netflix canceled 11 animated shows in May. Some of those shows had yet to air.
IGN spoke with several animators, though many wished to remain anonymous to protect their careers. IGN said, “To them, they underline a general lack of respect for workers in animation, and growing concerns that streaming services aren’t a sustainable business model for the entertainment industry.”
Additional feedback provided to IGN includes statements like this from a twenty-year animation veteran. “Animation is particularly prone to these, you know, boom, and bust cycles.” Another expressed dismay over the recent moves.
He said, “I’m kind of shocked by what’s going on at Warner Brothers Discovery, just because it’s like, now it’s even a bigger mess, and now the stock’s down. It’s just sort of depressing, you know? Because it seems like this is going to be a bigger downturn than we’ve seen in a while.” And, it is not the only bad news for animators.
Their pay is also significantly less than colleagues working on live-action shows. Data from the Animation Guild and the Writer’s Guild show that freelance animation writers receive 20-30% less. It is super disheartening for many in the industry.
One animator, Chad Quandt said, “it really feels like a social contract has been broken here. Sure shows get canceled and studios go under and executives change programming, but you usually have some sort of proof of the work you did. These are our lives; our legacies. To have them wiped from existence, potentially forever, just to save a few numbers on a spreadsheet is beyond disheartening.”
There are no indications the industry as a whole will fold. But the livelihoods of animators certainly feel temporary at best. However, they will continue to pursue the work they love because they are passionate about producing quality shows for global viewers.
