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Special Effects Company The Orphanage Shuts Down

by Alex Billington
February 5, 2009
Source: SlashFilm, ProLost blog

The recession has been hitting Hollywood hard, even though we may not be able to always notice it. Last week we reported that Imagi Animation had to shut down for a week until additional funding came through. Now today another great special effects house has shut down. Although you may not know The Orphanage by name, you certainly know their work. Co-founded in 1999 by ex-ILM staffers Stu Maschwitz, Jonathan Rothbart and Scott Stewart, the San Francisco based visual effects / CGI house has worked on films like The Spirit, Iron Man, Grindhouse, Live Free or Die Hard, Pirates of the Caribbean, Night at the Museum, Superman Returns, The Host, Sin City and so many more movies. It will be sad to see them go.

We first heard about this news via SlashFilm, where they linked to a post on co-founder Stu Maschwitz's blog that announced that they are "suspending operations indefinitely." You may be wondering why I'm giving this company some time in the spotlight and it's because over my last few years of working in the industry, I've become somewhat familiar with the company and their work. And although I also love places like ILM, I support the "little" effects houses like this that were able to make a name for themselves in an incredibly competitive marketplace and push the limits of their own capabilities at the same time.

Maschwitz writes a brief, but wonderful, letter on his blog about his company's sad ending. "It's no accident that our company's name described a place for people, people who may be thrown together, but who ultimately create their own destinies. Scott once described his vision of an orphanage as 'a hundred success stories waiting to happen,' and that is exactly what came to pass inside our offices. We have had the privilege of working with many 'Orphans' over the years, and watching them grow and take on new responsibilities has been the single greatest part of coming to work every day." I was so moved by this news and his message that I had to give The Orphanage one last hurrah just as they close their doors forever.

"A message to the visual effects industry: You will never find a better employee than a former Orphan."

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