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Hi! I’m one of the pixar employees affected from this. This article was really validating and relieving as some of us were unsure if these stories would see the light of day. It was tremendously sad and the animation industry absolutely should try to learn from it.
@@cosmicspacething3474 originally the story was about Riley over her first year in high school, then they switched it up to a weekend at the hockey camp. Changes always happen but Disneys shadow was pretty large on that movie in a lot of ways :/
I graduated Animation Mentor right when Covid 19 hit the US. Initially it was kind of hopeful because everyone was like hey you might be able to work from home! Maybe you won't have to travel to California or Vancouver and have more options! The problem is that I was already pretty jaded by the time I was graduated. All my mentors were pretty clear that there were tremendous issues in the industry. That there was so much rampant abuse and animators just had to take it because it was so easy to get black listed. Tbh it was a real hard kick in the teeth. Since then I've only seen things get worse. I'm glad for everything I've learned since it's something I wanted to be since I was a little kid, but knowing and seeing what the industry is like to the people who put their hearts into this craft is just soul crushing.
@@urbanlp555 I will say I really liked the hockey camp story though. Also whoever made the call to give Lenny from Toy Story a cameo is a true person of culture
The dumbest part is that this was also a personal movie. THE FIRST ONE was a personal film too! They were both based on the director’s experiences as a parent!!!
@@NoTheRobot they are blaming directors and hard working animators for their own financial failures bc this antisocial bit*** only care about pleasing investors and executives, they don't really see their own movies outside of peeking during production and i find it disgusting that they are always trying to profit on heart, soul and art of other people, like... bruh how are they different from Ai companies at this point?
The dumbest part is that EVERY Pixar movie that made it to legendary status is about something personal to their respective directors. They just found a way to present it to the world as relatable to a massive audience, and that's part of the Pixar genius and what made that brand instantly recognizable. The recent "turn" into even more deeper personal stories was not just a fad, it was the logical direction the studio was meant to take in the long term. Seeing them backpedaling into this "we need franchises and blockbusters" sounds so stupid, and will hammer the nail to an already dying studio.
It like the gag from Spongebob where Mr Krabs celebrates his million's dollar and the customer says: Wow so what do i win Mr Krabs: Nothing now get out
The people who have the audacity to say that animators should be ok with being exploited because it's the job they want to have are insane. The animation industry is a scam. What's it going to take for people to respect art? Everyone wants to be entertained but they don't want to pay the creatives what they're owed. It's disgusting.
I hate it when businesses do not value the employees who made their success possible. If you do not want greed or time crunches to kill careers like acting or animating, and everyone works together to gain them the respect that they deserve, then surrendering to the status quo is not an option. October 8, 2024, 2:44pm
and those people wouldn't dare to say the same about other careers that are just as stressful and overworking as animation is, they just spite animation so much because they don't understand it, and they will never do.
This is sad, but alsowhy im happy that indie studios like Glitch is booming. I hope this results in a revolution in the animation industry. Could you imagine if all the artists quit and created their own indie studios? Like **** these toxic executives. The artists are truly the victims and its heartbreaking.
@@NoTheRobot that is awesome dude! I'm looking forward to your future work. And hope the studio build goes smoothly! Would love to see how you approach the motion capture :D
That's pretty much the answer for this problem: Competition. Glitch may not have the same business model as big names in the industry but that allows them to tap in a market of people who don't want to spend money on theatrical releases or subscription fees. Furthermore, there is a need for new stories being told without relying on established IPs. That kind of risk is beyond what big companies are willing to tolerate so let that risk be taken by emerging studios. Most will fail but those who make it will take off in popularity by the sheer power of words of mouths and social media algorithms.
As a young animator that hopes to turn my art into a career, the state of the animation industry is discouraging. I just hope that more awareness is spread about this topic, and I’m really glad people like you are helping with that
It’s also possible that with the current working conditions studios like Pixar set up for animators plus the possibility of AI taking over, that there might be a surge in indie filming
I understand. I wanted to be an animator at DreamWorks, but they announced last year that they're going to start outsourcing those jobs, and it doesn't look like that will happen anymore. BUT, I've got faith in the indie scene, have started my own studio, and will be pursuing animation on my own instead. I'm still an animator, even if I'm not employed by one of the big studios, and no one can take that from me. Adapting to the future of the industry will be more crucial than ever. At least that's my personal perspective - hope that helps :)
Go indie, start a YT account, make animations, have a side/main job while it grows. Hopefully it grows enough it becomes your main job. If you are in a uni and have electives to spare, choose marketing. You might need it.
Inde animations are really starting to take off! And if you've got all the talent to start your own show, or movie... Then you got what it takes! You won't have to rely on an executive approving your ideas, you *are* the executive!
I think the financial gain is not even what most people fight for. Instead, it's stuff like "being able to work in normal conditions", "having a decent pay for all the work done" and, the most outrageous : "being treated like a human being". Crazy right ? 😭 (This is ironic people. I don't understand how it's okay to treat people like that, no matter what they work in)
@@germainelowpt7206 It was never "okay" to treat workers like they are not fellow human beings who deserve equal rights! That is never going to be okay! The best way to describe this cruel mistreatment of workers is "barely not illegal." October 8, 2024, 8:47pm
maybe some of those amazing animators could make their own indie projects for youtube since Spindlehorse, Glitch, and many many others have started making youtube their new home for not just money but art in a more comfortable and satisfying way that's both realistic and fair versus going off persistent threats from big head studios about to lose their jobs.
What sucks is that independent indie animators have little chance of succeeding as much as big name animations do because they dont have the resources to garner as much attention to their works. I love animation and would like to see more than just Disney and whatnot, but I don't even know a place I can do that other than RU-vid.
It is hard but it isn’t impossible! There are a whole lot of indie studios and animators on the rise that have made it :). They can be abit harder to find but it is worth the search.
Honestly Disney and Pixar have been making some really low moves lately. This is one of the biggest reasons I have stayed freelance and never actually got into working in feature films. I just refuse to risk my livelihood for an executive to lay me off right before my work goes out and lose my bonus for making they thing they just released.
Its honestly so sad seeing rampant capitalism take ahold of these companies' moral codes when it comes to paying their animators. The future seems so bleak for animation, but I do look forwards to the people now starting their own series now on their own. The amount of animated pilots popping up on youtube with a wonderful style and astounding animation quality is a solace. Great video as well! I hope commenting boosts it in the algorithm because having people who aren't artists and animators watch is absolutely needed.
This really broke my heart reading this article as a Pixar stan since chidlhood. I 100% think both Disney and Pixar should vote to unionize. However, I would like to point out the comments here saying that indie animation is the future. That alone isn’t going to save the industry. What REALLY will save the industry is the unionization of animation as a whole as well as an alliance between the indie side and the industry side, akin to how A24 is allowed to showcase their films in Hollywood’s old theaters.
Yeah tbh I think the "industry" as we know it is collapsing, and making way for a new business model for animation. The more high quality content that comes out of RU-vid from studios like Glitch with successful business models, the more I'm convinced that the future of animation is more direct to consumer than it is through the studio system. However, it should be allowed to coexist with the traditional industry and the artists that are fighting for their rights deserve to get what they're asking for.
@@NoTheRobotagreed. But the problem is so many studios the investors are private equity firms and hedge funds. The same companies that gutted toys r us and Kmart and other companies
As someone who is going into the animation industry next year its sad because when you train as an animator these are things you realise are really common. Animators are notoriously overworked, underpaid and underappreciated
I've heard there's a toxic positivity problem where directors and writers don't get told they have to fix scriptural or story problems--and the culture that activists and "personal story!!!" people bring into the studios don't help. Why would you point out actual issues with the story when you know that the people writing it will take it personally and/or as an attack on them?
That's all I'm trying to do haha. The animation community is relatively small, so I'm hoping I have some crossover here with the mainstream to help this story break through. Thank you for commenting!
Sucks that the industry is like this. Loved a lot of animated shows growing up and i think I'd love to work writing for animated shows. But due to how bad it looks now, might not be a good time for that and to focus more on a stable well paid day job b4 tipping my toe into that. Hope your stuidio prep keeps going well.
Appreciate your work and these videos/channel! I had my heart set on pursuing a career as a story artist&illustrator but watching the industry turmoil over the last few years, and seeing so many of my talented friends out of work really makes me hesitant.
I hope a lot of animators are able to break free, create their own projects, studios, better living and working conditions. Sadly in today's day and age we fuel the great machine by just gobbling up Pixar sequels all the time. Maybe skip the next one, or watch it on streaming only, and support some smaller animated productions instead.
Pixar is not the only Studio that has harsh working environment. Studio Ghibli also has the same problems as well under the management of the Hayao Miyazaki. Why do you think alot of empoyees and artist left the studio is because of the terrible and harsh working environment and not only that he's also very difficult to work with, shuts down ideas that aren't his, and being encapable of fostering growth and nurturing creativity in younger artist so that they can succeed. There's no wonder Studio Ponoc existed becuse its own by the former employees of Studio Ghibli who left the company. Theres a reason why there is no successor of that particular studio in general.
@@SsLoage You're welcome, Miyazaki was very notorious for being difficult to work with and also based on his relationship with his son Goro I can really tell why his son made Tales of Earthsea which I bet a reply to his father's resentment of him.
5:43 I mean reboots and sequels are good and safe, but those are more a temporary solution. These aren't a long term thing u want to rely on. Reboots and sequels are more the thing u do to keep the lights on, but maybe not and all the time thing to be your meat & potatoes main course projects. At least that's the idea I assume u are getting at.
I'm so glad someone other than ClownfishTV is pointing this out. Everything that the Disney company has done to it's workers as a whole is abhorrent and a crying shame. I'd say they should all quite on the same day and move to a different film company, but even other film companies are struggling with this issue, and where would they work until they're hired again? The only reason InsideOut 2 was so successful, was because they ditched a WHOLE BUNCH of the animators of the movie, and when opening weekend came along, the only people getting that box office money would be the Disney company. Just so they can make a last ditch effort to keep what little stockholders they have left. Just so they can say, "See! We still put effort into our movies! Please keep giving us money." It's so out of touch with reality, and a true testament of Bob Iger's pride and stupidity as a leader, if you can call him that. Edit: Oh yeah, one more thing. Those "major story changes", was Disney essentially saying to Pixar, "QUICK! Don't hint at Riley being lesbian in the story!!" (Might I add, that was probably something they added into Riley's character to only 'appease' the LGBTQ+ community, and not really add anything to Riley's character, or make the community feel like they were being properly represented. It was just to be approved by a demographic.)
another example is with Transformers One, the film is wonderful, all the artists who made this film deserve praise, but now I don't think it's fair to hope for it to be a box office success, because these artists won't see any of the money from the film or of the toy sales, it's only the big bosses who will profit. I want success to go to these workers, because they were the ones who made it happen.
"They are not investing in new stuff". Wrong. Elio is Pixar's next release, and they're producing the original screenplay Hoppers, directed by Daniel Chong of We Bare Bears.
Great! A new studio space and a Patreon as well Love your content, been really busy these days that I can't keep up with my youtube notifications But magically, I get time to watch to videos immediately and its because of how good they are The current state of the industry looks bleak, makes us beginner animators and students wonder if we should just stop animation But the truth is animation inspires me, I can't imagine doing something other than that and I know things will get better for the industry I hope they will, And I'm still willing to take the risk because animation is worth the risk in my opinion
So my one criticism of this video is that it ignores that the artist and the studios are a in a symbiotic relationship, as without the studios the artist can’t do much, and without the artists the studios won’t have product to sell. And thus when the studio is treated as a evil faceless machine and not a living organism as when the studio does bad or is in debt it is reseasonable for them to be less creative or sadly have to lay people off, people become blindsided to the fact that the tragic layoffs helped to keep Pixar going after the tumultuous last few years. And yes I do want to see the artist treated better we just need to make sure when having a conversation that we look at the full picture.
@@Frostensen The sweet part of this bittersweet success is already obvious if you watched Inside Out 2 for yourself. It was a wildly successful film because it had a great story which (A) had much more emotional depth, and (B) does not think that being a sequel is an excuse to not try to make a better story. Inside Out 2 is not a lazy or unambitious sequel, but I assume Pixar was still in such poor financial condition from previous films that it probably had to decrease the quantity of workers to not be overstaffed in case if another financial loss. I still wish Pixar had not fired Inside Out 2's animators so soon, because they do not deserve to be excluded from the rewards of their own work. Would Inside 2 exist without any or all of them? October 8, 2024, 9:01pm
Most of the upcoming Moana 2 was animated by Disney Animation's nascient Vancouver studio, which is also non unionized i think. I suspect there will be story after story published when that becomes an inevitable success about the working conditions there
Good video, side random comment, #releasecoyotevsacme Also i think they're premiering The Day the Earth Blew up at some animation festival in LA, i think the tickets are sold out now.
Inside Out 2 was pretty good. It was probably the first movie since Toy Story 2 where I could say the sequel was better. Pixar’s work has been forgettable as of late. The last movie by Pixar that I really enjoyed was Soul. Lightyear was alright. But Onward, Turning Red and Luca, can’t remember anything about them. Pixar appears to put more effort into sequels unfortunately. That’s why we now have Toy Story 5 and Incredibles 3. I do look forward to seeing those however.
Sigh... As always Disney gives me one reason or another to regret supporting them. Even when the movie does great, those damn executives will fire tons of people, but never themselves. So what's the point of putting effort in your job, if they're gonna fire you anyway? We really need smaller studios to rise up and kick these people of their pedestal for good...
Thank you for this, I really appreciate all you are doing with your channel dude. Love the TWRP shirt too! " The studios don't care about making good movies, they only care about making good box office impressions" This one rang true with me because of a movie I saw last night. It advertised itself to have a completely separate meaning and subject than what was actually in the film. It took something deeply meaningful to me and made it a terrible plot device to sell bad romance to impressionable youth. It felt like brainwash. It felt like I was cheated for looking forward to seeing it. And it's probably doing pretty well because of this deception.
i cant virtue-signal saying "lol just stop paying for them then" bc i went and watched the 3 star wars sequels in theaters, i watched barbie. but... it's 2014, the rebootification has been going for almost a decade if not the whole decade. _why_ are we as a culture still giving big studios money? ive been comparing this stuff to the sims (lol), bc people are always complaining the sims sucks but still buying it. the thing with pc gaming tho is that it's easier to get a hold of indie games, and indie animation is just as hard to make. netflix felt like a beacon of hope for indie animation for a while but of course that was a bust. i dont know how mubi works, sadly. but yeah, we *need* the equivalent of steam for animation, or nebula, i dont know, bc youtube isnt *it* either. otherwise it's gonna be a few unicorn anitubers going big and the bulk of artists fending for themselves :/
I find that there's a big difference between what audiences SAY they want, vs what they ACTUALLY want. Talk to anyone and they'll tell you they're sick of live-action remakes, yet the LAR's have almost consistently out-grossed their animated counterparts (see The Lion King as a perfect example). What's Disney supposed to think with data like that?
@@NoTheRobot exactly D: it's so frustrating... but the again most people who are watching the movies arent the ones being sad about _the state of the animation industry_ and watching think pieces about them, theyre the ones going to insertstudio-land getting merch :/
The money next to Joy is the only thing that’s AI generated, to symbolize the illusion of their profits. The rest of the thumbnail is photobashed using stills from the movie.
IDK Shouldnt animation be a regular 9 to 5 job? You get payd monthly and if u are good at it u can ask for a raise or change jobs, bonuses were for who's work they valued more, not saying its fair but if you got kicked they probably can live without you lets not forget that this its team work nothing its one persons art. A corporation will always want more money, no surprise there, asking them to be more human its pointless, you have to force them with laws. And no, most of people dont care how the movies are made and the conditions, we are buying from shady companies like temu and shein, the change has to come from inside.
i've been preparing for years to get into either pixar, dreamworks or disney, apart from many other companies like game studios and such, but, with the pass of time i've had to discard disney because of their woke bullshit and executive meddling (main reason wish is a failure), dreamworks because they also seem overworked leaning to more shrek sequels and not rlly paying any attention to their writting, and now... pixar and i thought pixar wasn't going to be like this, actually, it took some time before finding out about it, so, yeah, there it goes, another animation studio that i'm throwing to the trash can, i'm not gonna apply to any of these anymore, not worth my mental sanity for it.
As much as I do agree, i think people are giving pixar a lot of bad reaction when dreamworks layed off 75% of their employees and i dont see peolle talking about that
@@NoTheRobot Fair, but the francise has had their fair set of "challenges". Solo, The Force Awakens, Mandalorian and the series which we don't talk about, have been making less and less money, falling into losses as time goes on... Feels like the line they have to walk so as not to burn it all to the ground is a fine one. The goodwill seems to have gone for a lot of fans. Marvel too thinking about it... The cruetly of the decision asside for a second. Maybe these layoffs were over the fear these movies would be a flop? They're probably going to be questioning every decision.
Only the money is AI generated, and I did that on purpose to emphasize how those earnings are shallow at best. The rest of the image was photoshopped together using stills from the movie, not AI generated.
When Dreamworks was sold to Bluesky, Tim Minchins project was cancelled. This is his song about that. | "And the studio executives who never made a thing Blaming others for their failures taking credit for their wins Wiping the blood of dumb artists from their chins singing Kid you oughtn't take it personally" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kX-ly8VxhLY.html
Considering the amount of woke propaganda being put in modern animation movies, I don't blame the companies not wanting to pay them. These animators had it coming.
You're 1000% wrong. I know a lot of the people who got laid off. None of them went to Calarts. Some people in their 40s still paying off student loans and considering moving in with their parents out of state.
I hope you’re just a troll since if you actually believe it, I hope you research the topic… Animators get overworked and underpaid honestly. Also the craft is a lot of work to master and understand.
It's cutthroat, late-stage capitalism that prioritizes shareholders (which includes executives) over everybody else including the workers who get a smaller and smaller piece of the pie. It wasn't always like this and doesn't have to stay like this.
