MPC Vancouver, the visual effects studio that played a key role in redesigning Sonic The Hedgehog for his upcoming movie, is no more. First reported by Cartoon Brew then later confirmed by the CBC, the studio (a branch of the Moving Picture Company) was suddenly shut down on Wednesday, just a month after the curtain was pulled back on its efforts to give SEGA’s mascot a look that ran more in line with how he has appeared in games and other media. According to the CBC, staff received an email announcing the studio’s immediate closure due to “increasing external market pressures.” There is no word on how many have lost their jobs as a result of the shutdown. Led by artist Tyson Hesse, MPC Vancouver, along with its fellow studios in Los Angeles and London, took on the task of redesigning Sonic after his look in the initial trailer drew heavy criticism. Honored to have been brought in to lead the design on the new Movie Sonic. Working with Jeff and the modelers, riggers, texture/fur artists and animators in LA, London, and Vancouver was a thrill I’ll never forget. #SonicMovie pic.twitter.com/HhcVIxAhXB — Tyson Hesse (@tyson_hesse) November 12, 2019 The film, directed by Jeff Fowler and produced by Paramount Pictures, was delayed several months from November 2019 to February 14, 2020 in order to give the artists enough time to complete the job without having to crunch. However, a since-deleted Reddit post from a user claiming to be an employee effected by the closure, signaled that long days and toxic working conditions had become the norm at the studio over the past couple of months. The Motion Picture Company has several other studios established across the world, with a portfolio that includes work on movies such as The Lion King and Detective Pikachu. SOURCES: Cartoon Brew, CBC
