Global site navigation

Disney to shut Lucasfilm studio in Singapore
Business and Economy

Disney to shut Lucasfilm studio in Singapore

by  AFP 2 min read
A staff member dressed as Darth Vader is seen at Lucasfilm's Sandcrawler building in Singapore in 2014
A staff member dressed as Darth Vader is seen at Lucasfilm's Sandcrawler building in Singapore in 2014. Photo: ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP/File
Source: AFP

Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!

Lucasfilm's visual effects and animation studio in Singapore will close down in the coming months due to economic reasons, parent firm Disney said on Tuesday.

The Singapore studio was set up in the 2000s by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which was founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas and is a division of Lucasfilm.

For years, its home in Singapore was the striking Sandcrawler building, named after the Star Wars transport that inspired its design. Lucasfilm sold the building in 2021.

"Over the next several months, ILM will be consolidating its global footprint and winding down its Singapore studio due to economic factors affecting the industry," Disney said in a statement.

It did not say how many employees will be affected in Singapore.

Disney said in February it was cutting 7,000 jobs worldwide -- part of a reorganisation as its traditional television business erodes and in the face of stiff competition and eroding subscriber numbers for its streaming service, Disney+.

Read also

Foxconn boss sees potential to invest billions in India

Unlock the best of Yen.com.gh on Pinterest! Subscribe now and get your daily inspiration!

"Lucasfilm's decision to wind down its Singapore operations is in response to changes in the industry and business conditions," Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) said in a joint statement.

"The global media industry is facing disruption from rapid technological advancements, while studios are coping with challenges relating to talent and profitability."

The Singapore studio was involved in high-profile Hollywood productions including "Iron Man", "The Avengers" and Star Wars films, according to the EDB's website.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.

Hot: