As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) struggled last year, the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was an undeniable box-office success.
The sequel to 2019’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.
Image: Sony
In an interview with Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, the trio of directors talked about the importance of animation and where they would like to see the field headed in the future.
Image: Sony
“I think it’s worth repeating: animation is a big business for the industry,” says Dos Santos. “We bring a ton to the table; without it, everybody hurts. I also want to add that doing an animated film shouldn’t be a sacrifice for the artist doing it.”
Animation Jobs Are Not Part of the WGA’s Purview
One of the problems for the animation industry is getting writers to take jobs in the field. A WGA writer will not get the same benefits if they take an animation job.
Photo: Sony
“I do both [writing and animation], and it’s hard to convince a writer who’s in WGA to write on an animated feature for the simple reason it doesn’t pay into their medical insurance. I hope the industry understands that animation is important to this entire cinema ecosystem,” explains Powers.
“There’s been this great narrative on ‘what’s going to save movies, and when will they come back?’ The truth is that movies can never come back unless animation comes back.”
Photo: Robert Hanashiro/USA Today
For Thompson, the answer is simple- animators need to be invited to join the WGA and DGA.
“There are many complicated reasons why it isn’t, but at some point, the WGA, DGA, and studios must accept that. They’re also creating a barrier entry for filmmakers who would love to use this medium but won’t because of the lack of WGA and DGA representation.”
Fundamental Problems in Hollywood
After last year’s labor unrest, Hollywood is looking forward to peace. Still, there are fundamental issues in the structure of Tinseltown’s ecosystem that are creating problems for creators and fans alike.
Photo: Wikipedia
Hopefully, the animation will be recognized as an equal product by the powers that be, and some of the underlying problems will be addressed.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond-Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
